No, psychologists do not give free therapy

The job of health psychologists is not to do favors and get paid from time to time.

Yes, psychologists dedicated to mental health intervention are one of those groups of professionals who, along with photographers, musicians and many others, are often challenged by this idea: "Will you please work for me for free?".

Of course, these kinds of requests are never made in such a direct way; they are usually expressed implicitly, making the conversation still have the appearance of an informal dialogue when at Heart a commitment on a professional level is being proposed.

But no, the task of psychologists in the health care field is defined, precisely, by the fact that it is a job, something for which, by default, one must be paideither from patients or from public entities. If this very basic idea is not respected by many people, it is, in part, due to two myths about psychology that we will see below.

The personal need to "make people happy".

One of the myths that most fuels the belief that psychologists are expected to give free therapy is the idea that, because they have chosen that career path, rather than workers, they are pure souls who are happy simply to make others happy.. That is, by doing favors.

Of course, this vision of what it means to "make others happy" is totally self-serving and short-sighted. is totally self-serving and short-sighted.How many people could a psychologist who has to spend a large part of the week practicing for free benefit? For how long?

The same idealistic vision that leads to say, for example, that culture is free to defend that artists can see how their work is distributed without charging anything makes many people see psychologists as people who can afford to become an NGO themselves (although without the advantages that NGOs have).

Of course, we psychologists like to help othersAnd in many cases that feeling is what makes many decide to start a career in psychology. But that does not mean that by default and until it is said otherwise the interests of others must come before those of the professional.

Anyone can give advice

Another myth that leads many people to expect free psychotherapy sessions is that, what you do in them is basically give advice. Something that can be done at a bar counter, something that is easy and intuitive. Something that can even pass as leisure time for both parties.

Why don't we offer free psychological therapy?

Why charge for something that everyone can do and which is also a light entertainment? Besides, giving advice and seeing how the other person respects our point of view must be very good for self-esteem, right? Psychologists are very lucky.

Actually, there is nothing in this reasoning that is not wrong. What health psychologists do is far from giving advice, and it's also not light talk or "healing talk. or "talking cure" as fast as heating rice in the microwave. And, of course, the raison d'être of psychotherapy is not to exchange advice in exchange for a good helping of ego.

What psychological intervention is

What psychologists dedicated to intervening on individual people's problems do is, among other things, schedule a timetable that commits them not to be doing other things when it's time to serve a customer. when it is time to serve a client.

It is also about actively listening and concentrating your efforts for a long time on understanding the problem and the needs of the person being served. It is necessary to know where the specific characteristics of a person's life end and where the generalities that allow comparing that case with others and establishing a diagnosis of the situation begin.

The information obtained in the consultation is also contrasted with other information of a more theoretical nature, the result of the work of many psychologists who are dedicated to research.

Psychotherapy also involves is also about making decisions that involve both parties.The decision of whether or not a symptom picture fits into a theoretical diagnostic category carries the risk of being wrong, and the actions to be taken must be consistent with this decision.

Psychologists create intervention programs that consist of much more than just talking.They can conduct phobia exposure sessions, biofeedback and even assess cognitive abilities in situ. in situ or through tests that need to be used in a very precise way, among other things.

And, of course, let's not forget training.. In order for psychologists to be able to provide their services, they must invest effort, time and money not only in a university degree, but also in master's degrees, specialized seminars and even reading scientific articles, since the science of behavior and mental processes is constantly evolving. Intellectual stagnation is not an option.

Claiming the value of one's work

All these activities enhanced by psychologists would be impossible if they did not demand fair payment for their work. Not being paid on time is a valid option, but not what defines the profession..

The mistake is, perhaps, to believe that the work of psychologists, designers or computer scientists is so insignificant that it can pass as something that could be done without pay but is usually remunerated to give it the appearance of professionalism. A belief that, coincidentally, always benefits the party asking for the favor, as if the rare thing is to receive payment in exchange for the work.