How to persuade someone to go to a psychologist? 10 practical tips

How to persuade someone to go to psychotherapy? Let's look at guidelines to do it without pressuring.

We are empathic beings. This makes us worry not only about ourselves, but also about the welfare of our family and friends, who may be going through a bad situation.

Sometimes it is necessary to turn to a psychologist, who can help improve the condition of our loved one. However, going to therapy is not a decision that is usually taken easily and it may be the case that the person in need of therapy may not be able to make the decision to go to a psychologist. It may be the case that the person who needs professional help does not ask for it for various reasons. The fact that someone close to him or her has a problem does not only affect him or her, but also his or her close circle, and it is those close to him or her who consider it appropriate to visit a professional.

The question that many people ask themselves when they find themselves in this situation is: How to convince someone to go to a psychologist? Proposing it to them can be a very delicate issue, and generate a tense situation when they feel offended and that they are being called "crazy". Let's take a look at some key tips and ideas on how to deal with this kind of problem.

What resistances can arise when proposing to go to psychotherapy?

Although in the last decades the profession of the psychologist has been acquiring major popularity, besides spreading better what is what is realized in the psychological consultation, the certain thing is that many persons are reluctant to go to psychological therapy..

Although the image of the psychologist as a person who deals only with people with serious psychological disorders, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, has been overcome, many people still believe that going to a psychologist is something "crazy".

It may also be the case that the that the person who is suffering considers that he/she is in such a serious situation that he/she no longer has a situation to deal with.or that he/she fears that going to the psychologist will confirm that there is nothing to be done, and decides not to face it.

There are those who see asking for help as a sign of weakness, and are afraid of ending up depending on a mental health professional. Also, due to a lack of knowledge of what psychologists really do, they believe that they will end up being medicated and will really know how to deal with their situation in a profound way.

Although there are people who are aware that they are suffering and need help, fear of the high cost of psychotherapy may prevent them from going to a psychologist.

It is important to point out that, except in situations where there is a very serious psychological disorder, it should be the person himself/herself who goes to the psychologist of his/her own free willwithout their relatives, friends or partner having organized a deception or forcing them to go to the consultation. For a clinical psychologist, this type of situation is particularly difficult, since the person to be treated does not wish to receive professional help.

Tips for convincing someone to go to a psychologist

As a friend, family member or partner of someone who is suffering, a series of recommendations can be followed that can help us make the person aware that they need help and that they can get better, as well as show them that we are on their side, that we support them and want the best for them.

Here are some tips to help you know how to convince someone to go to a psychologist.

1. Choose the best time and place

Proposing to go to a psychologist is a delicate subject. That is why it is advisable to choose a time and a place where calm and intimacy predominate, where there is no tension and where theIt is also advisable to choose a time and place where there is no tension and where there are no other people who may react negatively to the proposal to go to the professional and influence the person who needs help.

2. Listen and be empathetic

We want to help him/her, so we must show that this is our intention. Ask about their feelings, how they are experiencing the situation and how they perceive that it may evolve.. If something similar has ever happened to you, tell him/her and make him/her understand that everything can get better with the right help.

3. Propose a first visit

Recommending to start immediately with psychotherapy can be seen as a complicated and financially unaffordable proposal. Instead, you can recommend that she try a first contact with a psychologist, and see what happens and how she feels after the session.

4. Accompany him/her for the first session.

Going to a psychologist for the first time can feel intimidating. For ensure that the person goes, but without pressuring him/her, it is a very good idea to accompany him/her.It is a very good idea to accompany him/her during the first session, so that he/she feels that he/she is starting the process with the support of someone close to him/her.

5. Do not assume the reason for their suffering

Although all human beings have much in common, each one can attribute and experience suffering in different ways. Do not interpret the reason for their suffering, simply comment on your perception, making it clear that everyone is free to live the same experience in a different way.

6. Offer them truthful and professional information.

Many are the myths that exist around the figure of the psychologist. The best way to fight them is to offer articles, books, webs and other resources elaborated by the professionals themselves in order to help to have a real vision of the psychology professional and his or her work..

7. A psychologist and a psychiatrist are not the same thing

Many people believe that going to a psychologist implies being medicated, even though this professional is not a psychiatrist.Although this professional is not the one who prescribes psychotropic drugs, and they are afraid of this possibility. Prescribing drugs is the task of the psychiatrist, and he/she only prescribes medication when necessary. For that reason, it is necessary to inform about this aspect in case it turns out to be an obstacle at the time of convincing someone to go to the psychologist.

8. Facilitates the process of finding a psychologist

Thanks to new technologies, many psychologists have websites where you can make appointments, as well as explain their field of intervention and what they specialize in. It is therefore very easy to help find a professional psychotherapist who suits the needs of the person you want to convince..

9. If it is possible and necessary, subsidize the treatment

Psychotherapy can be seen as an expensive process. If you can afford it, offer to pay for the first session. This will show that you are very involved in the therapeutic process and will motivate him/her to come to therapy. Once he/she has started, it will be easier for him/her to lose his/her fears and possible prejudices..

10. Make him/her aware that he/she is the one who decides

Everyone has the right to participate in the improvement of his/her mental health. Even if we propose him/her to go to the psychologist, we must also make him/her aware that he/she is free to decide whether or not to see a psychologist, and that he/she is responsible for his/her psychological well-being.and that he/she is responsible for his/her psychological well-being.

In case that, in spite of having followed this advice, the person does not want to go to the psychologist, we should insist on it, but keeping calm and trying to argue the benefits of receiving therapy..

Author: Nahum Montagud

Bibliographical references:

• Brammer, L. M., & Shostrom, E. L. (1977). Therapeutic psychology: Fundamentals of counseling and psychotherapy (3rd ed.). Oxford, England: Prentice-Hall.
• Norcross, J. C. (Ed.). (2002). Psychotherapy relationships that work: Therapist contributions and responsiveness to patients. New York, NY, US: Oxford University Press.