10 essential characteristics of a good psychologist

What are the qualities and virtues that a competent psychologist should have?

Being a good psychologist is not always an easy task.This profession can be stressful and overwhelming.

Dealing with other people and their sometimes serious problems and helping them to manage their emotions properly can be exhausting. It is well known among psychology professionals that, especially those in psychological therapy, the first people to attend therapy sessions are the therapists themselves. This can help them to be more objective when treating their patients.

• Recommended article: "The 8 reasons why you should go to a psychologist".

Principles to be a good psychologist

Many times, the difference between being a good psychologist or a bad psychologist is found in the attitude, in following a series of principles or habits that improve good professional work. Psychological therapy, on occasions, may not work, but psychologists must prevent bad practices from being the reason why the patient has not benefited from therapeutic help.

But, what are the principles that a good psychology professional should apply? What should a good psychologist or therapist be like? Here we explain them to you.

1. Never judge a patient

Throughout his or her professional career a psychologist may encounter patients who think differently from him or her in many respects. In addition, some of the experiences that patients reveal may be incomprehensible to many people. But the psychologist or therapist must understand the situation, and despite not sharing the patient's way of acting or thinking, must never impose his or her opinion.

The psychologist is a professional who has been trained to provide the patient with the necessary tools to improve his or her psychological well-being. Therefore, a good psychologist neither judges nor imposes his or her opinion, a good psychologist neither judges nor criticizes his patients..

2. Be accessible

Patients are usually people who need professional help for different reasons, but they are generally in a situation of psychological and emotional discomfort. A good psychologist allows his or her clients to feel comfortable in his or her sessions and is approachable. This helps the patient to open up and feel ready to overcome their fears.

3. Active listening

The therapist must pay full attention to his patients.The therapist must not only listen to what the patient says, but must also listen fully. This means that you must actively listen, that is, pay attention with all five senses to what the patient is saying.

In addition, the psychologist should not continually interrupt the patient during the session, because it is not positive for maintaining the therapist-patient connection.This is not conducive to maintaining the therapist-patient connection. In this sense, it is essential that the psychologist provides an excellent rapport in his sessions.

4. Be self-aware and sincere

The therapeutic relationship is not always easybecause psychologists are human beings with their own emotions and thoughts.

But the good psychologist is self-aware and knows when he/she stops being objective and relies on biases when helping his/her patients. In addition, good psychologists are honest with both the patient and themselves, which allows them to guide the patient on the road to recovery.

5. To be in continuous training

A good psychologist is continuously trainingThe main reason for this is to be able to understand and care for your patients in the best possible way. Our society is constantly changing and technological advances are changing the way we interact with the environment.

In order to understand the current reality it is necessary for the therapist to constantly update his knowledge. Training is essential to continue improving and to continue growing professionally.

6. To be ethical

The psychologist, in addition to possessing theoretical and practical knowledge for the correct development of his profession, must be aware of his resources and limitations, must be aware of his or her resources and limitations and of the ethical principles that govern the practice of his or her profession.. There is a code of ethics that all mental health professionals must strictly follow and that guarantees a professional and quality service.

The psychologist's social responsibility obliges him/her to respect the dignity of his/her patients and to preserve and protect fundamental human rights. Among some of the psychologist's ethical obligations, we can find: to use his or her knowledge to promote human welfare or to maintain professional secrecy.

7. Communicate effectively

Since psychologists deal with people, it is necessary for them to master certain interpersonal skills and communication skills.

For one of the reasons for a good professional relationship between a therapist and a patient is good communication and understanding between the two.In order to achieve this, it is absolutely necessary that the professional possesses a series of communicative resources that make his or her message reach the patient in a clear way.

8. To be patient

One of the qualities that the therapist must possess is patience.. Throughout the therapeutic sessions there may be ups and downs on the part of the patient, something that can also affect the psychologist, by making him question his method of work.

The psychologist-patient relationship is not always idyllic, and on many occasions the psychologist must be tolerant and patient, and must be able to transmit this patience so that the patient is aware that ups and downs are normal.

9. Be empathic

But the therapist must not only be patient with the person in front of him/her, but, in order to carry out his/her professional tasks successfully, he/she must also be empathetic.

This means that must be able to put himself in the other person's place to feel what he feels and think as he thinks.. In this way he/she will be able to understand the magnitude of the problem the person is experiencing and will be able to help him/her. If the psychologist fails to be empathetic, he/she may minimize the problem experienced by the patient, which could lead him/her to use inappropriate tools.

10. Refer when necessary

The psychologist must understand that he/she cannot help the patient in all his/her reasons for consultation, nor is he/she an expert in solving all problems. One of the principles of being a good psychologist is to to know how to refer when necessary.

Therefore, the psychologist must refer the patient to another professional so that the latter can benefit from the help provided by another health professional. Failure to do so is a professional malpractice.