Selecting the most suitable psychologist in each case: 6 keys to follow
Several key ideas to choose the best psychology professional according to what we are looking for.
Seeing a psychologist is not an easy decision to make. Contrary to what we think, today there is still a lot of confusion about what psychotherapy is and how it works..
Nowadays, the presence of Internet in our lives has caused that we are exposed to an overinformation and multitude of offers with respect to the subject, which, many times, far from helping us, blocks us and causes more doubts.
On the other hand, on many occasions, fears arise such as: "will it be useful to go?", "will he understand me?", "what will he think about me?", etc. If we add to this the fact that it is a fundamentally private service and where the results are not immediate, the situation becomes more complicated.
However, there are times in life when it is difficult to find a way out of a situation by ourselves and our environment, even if it wants to, does not have the capacity to help us and we need professional help. Faced with situations like this it is necessary to know how to select the psychologist who adapts to what we look for..
Keys to succeed deciding us for a psychologist
It is very important to choose well the professional of the psychology, since, in the same way that an adequate therapy can do us much good, a bad therapy can do us also much damage. To avoid, as far as possible, that the latter happens, it is convenient to take into account several of the factors listed below:
1. Beware of professional intrusion.
Make sure that the person to whom you go is, first of all, a psychologist and, in addition, is registered. You can check the latter by consulting the web page of the Official College of Psychology of the corresponding city.
2. Choose a legally approved professional
The psychologist must have a degree that allows him/her to practice General Health Psychology in the corresponding Autonomous Community.
Since 2013, in order to legally practice psychology in the private sphere, it is mandatory either to have completed the University Master's Degree in General Health Psychology or, on the contrary, to have certain training and experience within the practice of health psychology and, as a consequence, to be in possession of the qualification of General Health Psychologist.as well as being part of the team of psychology professionals in a Center registered in the Register of Health Centers of the corresponding Autonomous Community.
3. Be wary of "miracle remedies".
Psychotherapy is a process that takes time and involves a certain level of commitment and willingness to change on the part of the patient.. It is true that in many cases important changes begin to be observed after the third month, but for these to be lasting and at a deeper level, more time is required.
4. Be wary of offers, bonuses, too cheap prices, etc.
Although more and more changes are taking place in this regard, even today, for psychotherapy to be effective and offer good results, it is usually necessary to go private. And as a consequence, just as when we go to the dentist or to a lawyer's office, this implies a certain economic investment.
It is true that in certain personal economic situations, prices can be adjusted a little, but always within a reasonable always within reasonable amounts and taking into account each particular case.. To get an idea, as a guideline, we can consult the website of the corresponding Official College of Psychology, according to which, normally, the average recommended price per session is around 60 euros.
5. Look for someone specialized
The psychologist must have specialization in your particular problem, with postgraduate training and experience in this area.. For example, if what you think is happening to you is that you have a trauma, look for people specialized in dealing with these issues and, if possible, with the title of EMDR therapist, even if they work with more approaches.
6. Be guided by your own common sense and judgment.
Trust the impression that the professional gives you, both one way or the other. A good therapeutic relationship is essential for therapy to work..
Therefore, it is important to take into account the confidence that person gives you as a professional when dealing with your case, how comfortable you feel talking to him and expressing your concerns and innermost thoughts, whether you feel understood and listened to, whether you feel judged or uncomfortable, whether you feel it helps you or not, etc. That's something you feel, and we usually don't usually get it wrong.
(Updated at Apr 14 / 2024)