In Europe, every self-respecting person has a personal psychologist to whom he can turn in any difficult situation, consult on personal psychological problems or seek advice on relationships with people. It is very popular in different countries to have a family psychologist who helps resolve family conflicts. In Russia, in recent years, the profession of psychologist has begun to gain popularity and more and more people are turning to them for help.
But few people know who a psychologist is and what he does.
In society you can hear different opinions of people about the specialty of psychologist. For most, the difference between a psychologist, psychiatrist and psychotherapist is not visible. In this article we will tell you who a psychologist is, what he does, and what is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist and psychotherapist.
Mystery of Man
What does a psychologist do?
The main place of work of a psychologist
– these are schools, kindergartens, boarding schools, psychological assistance centers, and private practice. Using proven methods, specialists determine the abilities and individual qualities of schoolchildren and pupils and build a separate training program for each.
Corrective work also falls within the competence of psychologists. They help children overcome difficult moments in life and form behavioral patterns in critical situations. However, almost half of the working time has to be devoted to paperwork: compiling psychological characteristics
, reports, work plans, etc.
Human resources departments of various enterprises also become the place of work for many specialists. They are employed by HR managers and perform a number of the following functions:
- ✔Recruitment of personnel taking into account the results of assessing personal qualities
✔Assisting new employees in adaptation ✔Conducting training sessions ✔Proper placement of employees’ workplaces based on an analysis of psychological compatibility ✔Assistance in the development of management methods
The goal of a psychologist’s work in a corporation is to increase the company’s performance indicators and motivate staff as much as possible. Knowledge of psychology and tools for influencing people’s consciousness is also in demand in mass media, advertising, political activity, and jurisprudence. A psychologist can conduct a private practice and engage in research in his field.
Psychotherapist
This is a specialist who in his practice uses more serious methods to treat depressive conditions.
He studies the problem in more depth. The practice often uses individual techniques to identify deeper subconscious processes, such as hypnosis. In the most difficult cases, a psychotherapist may prescribe medications.
If the problem cannot be dealt with through psychological methods, then the help of a psychiatrist may be required.
Mystery of Man
Pros and cons of the specialty
Being a psychologist is not only interesting, but also useful. The profession requires that a person should always be open to new knowledge, develop, and master new work methods. Other advantages of the specialty:
- ✔The opportunity to help people solve their problems. ✔Continuous personal growth. ✔Knowledge of the reasons for people’s actions and behavior, the formation of a philosophical attitude towards external events. ✔Finding inner peace. ✔The opportunity to conduct private practice and not depend on the employer.
To finally decide whether a specialty is right for you or not, you need to know the disadvantages of the profession:
- ✔ Constant nervous tension. Fears, depression, despair - psychologists have to deal with the causes of a person’s difficult experiences and find ways to get rid of them. It is very difficult to control your own emotions so as not to take other people’s negativity to heart. ✔ High responsibility. A person’s state of mind and his actions depend on the recommendations of a specialist. A constant sense of responsibility can cause fear of doing something irreparable.
Intensive communication with strangers is also a disadvantage of the profession. Not everyone can constantly contact strangers. If this circumstance is stressful and causes negative emotions, it is better to abandon the idea of becoming a psychologist.
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Therapy methods
Many people wonder who a psychologist is and what he does, as well as how he can help get out of a depressive or unstable mental state without medication. It is important to understand that a psychologist does not make a diagnosis or prescribe medications; his work is only advisory in nature using various psychological techniques and techniques.
Each specialist has in his arsenal a stock of favorite techniques, the use of which helps him solve a person’s problem and bring him out of a state of internal imbalance without the use of medications. The most common methods are:
- The technique is a symbol of drama, in other words, “dreams in reality.” The essence of the method is that the patient imagines images on a specific topic while in a state of relaxation. Using this technique, neuroses, phobias, psychosomatic disorders, and depression are effectively treated;
- method of behavioral psychotherapy. This method is used only when a person is ready to work on his behavior, and does not seek to change those around him. The goal of the method is to acquire new useful habits, new ways of responding to familiar situations. This will help you get out of a protracted series of failures and look at life from a different point of view;
- psychoanalysis. This technique is designed to explore your self-awareness together with a specialist and help release hidden mechanisms that trigger personal conflicts. With the help of psychoanalysis, psychologists increase the patient's self-confidence, fight his self-doubt, anxiety, confusion, inability to forgive or love;
- technique using art therapy. Using this technique, you can identify a conflict or traumatic situation for a person. It happens that a person cannot express his mental anguish in words, because he himself does not understand what oppresses him. Art therapy allows the patient to work through unconscious thoughts and repressed feelings through non-verbal manifestations of strong feelings on canvas;
- cognitive therapy method. This method creates a short-term, problem-oriented strategy aimed at self-exploration and conscious change in a person's behavior and way of thinking.
- use of hypnosis. Using hypnosis, a specialist puts the patient into a state of physiological and psychological peace. In this state, a person becomes easily suggestible, which makes it possible to work through his fears and change the erroneous beliefs and conclusions that hinder him. Hypnosis also allows you to discover the causes of a problem hidden in a person’s subconscious.
In each case, the psychologist individually selects methods of working with the patient, sometimes changing them as he works with the patient.
Personal qualities of a psychologist
Showing sincere interest in the client’s problems and the ability to respect the person are the key qualities of a psychologist. Knowledge and acquired skills help him become a good specialist.
Tolerance is another quality that is necessary when working with people.
Under no circumstances should a psychologist show his irritation or dissatisfaction with a person. If you have chosen this profession, but cannot be calm when communicating with people, you need to develop this skill in yourself. What other qualities would be useful for a psychologist:
- ✎ Listening skills.
Often, a person who turns to a psychologist for help only needs to speak out and hear words of support.
✎ Emotional intelligence.
This is the ability to understand the nature of feelings and quickly find a common language with people.
✎ Communication skills.
A psychologist must be sociable.
People should not feel your bad mood or fatigue from work. If you don’t know how to hide it, it’s better to change your field of activity. ✎ Ability to store confidential information.
When solving other people's problems, you have to be aware of the details of their personal life. The psychologist should not tell anyone about them.
A psychology specialist must be able to find individual solutions to each problem. Therefore, he must always be ready to learn techniques and gain new knowledge.
Structure of modern psychology
Photo by cottonbro: Pexels
To understand all areas of psychological work, you need to understand what psychology is today. Psychology is the science of the psyche and mental phenomena. It does not always study the human psyche; there is also zoopsychology, which studies the mental activity of animals.
Moreover, there is pet therapy - a method of treatment with the help of pets, which not only helps to cope with many mental disorders, but also has a beneficial effect, for example, on the health of the cardiovascular system. So animals, in some ways, are also psychologists, although they do not have higher education.
Psychology can be scientific and everyday. Scientific is based on a serious theoretical basis and many experiments. But in life there is also a place for everyday psychology - with experience, empathy, empathy, any person can help his loved one with conversation or advice.
You yourself have noticed that sometimes with advice, support, care and simple participation, you help people close to you: friend, children, husband, parents. When it’s hard for a person, when he finds himself in a difficult situation, the first thing you can do is support him, show him that he is not alone. A simple heart-to-heart conversation or a hug is what every person needs.
Scientific psychology includes fundamental disciplines, such as general psychology or the history of psychology, and applied ones - aimed at solving specific problems in their field, for example, sports psychology, sexology, educational psychology, etc.
Depending on the interaction between the individual and society, they are divided into:
- individual psychology – aimed at studying a specific personality;
- social psychology - it is aimed at studying human interaction in society, various group phenomena and relationships of different social groups, people’s perception of each other, mechanisms of the emergence and resolution of conflicts, leadership, etc.;
- ethnopsychology - it studies the distinctive characteristics of people of different cultures and nations, their self-perception, characteristics of emotional reactions, etc.
Where can you study to become a psychologist?
universities today offer to become a psychologist.
and
institutions of the country
.
As a rule, these are humanitarian, pedagogical, multidisciplinary educational institutions
.
Apply to universities
Possible
after 11th grade
, secondary school.
Here you can get a second higher education or take retraining courses. What subjects must be taken
upon admission is determined by each university itself.
As a rule, entrance examinations are conducted in the form of the Unified State Exam in the following subjects
: ✎ Russian language ✎ Foreign language ✎ Biology ✎ In some universities mathematics and history
Additional exams
. For example, in physical training, if the institute trains future military officers or law enforcement officers.
In 2022
The psychology departments of the following universities will open their doors to applicants: • Moscow State University. Lomonosov • Russian State Humanitarian University (RGGU) • Russian State Social University (RGSU) • Moscow Pedagogical State University (MPGU) • Moscow City Pedagogical University (MSPU) • Russian Peoples' Friendship University (RUDN)
How many years to study
to become a psychologist, depends on the form of study: • 4 years is the term of full-time student • 3.5 years receive a second higher education • 4 years and 6 months study part-time
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy can be a lengthy process that may not always meet your needs and expectations. If one consultant is not suitable for you, it is quite simple to find someone else. Although online therapy is not recommended for people with serious mental illness, it may be just the right step to help you create the life you want most.
Whether you choose online or in-person counseling, the most important thing you need to do is get help immediately. Do this while you are motivated and before your problems get worse. Make a decision and be ready to change your life for the better. Start now.
Every physical illness has a mental aspect. How we react to illness and how we cope with it varies greatly from person to person.
Kuznetsov Denis Vladimirovichpsychologist of the highest category, hypnotherapist, medical psychologist -
HypnoLIFE
Do you want to eliminate the cause of the problem quickly and effectively? Make an appointment
Where to look for work
A certified specialist is in demand in many fields. Medical clinics, psychological assistance services, private and municipal educational institutions - this is the main field of activity of a psychologist. In addition, many large companies today have psychologists on staff. They organize and conduct business trainings to raise corporate spirit, unite the team, and motivate employees. Such specialists work in HR departments and act as personal coaches for entrepreneurs. Due to their ability to predict people’s behavior, they are also in demand in marketing, as they can direct the company’s activities to generate greater profits.
Professional's choice
There is a lot to consider when you choose which professional you want to see. The first thing you need to do is think about the problems you want to solve. Do you feel like you may have a serious mental illness? If so, a therapist may be the best option for you. Or do you have practical problems with your daily life? In this case, a psychologist may be the right choice for you.
In addition to choosing whether to see a particular specialist, you also need to choose a specific person to see. This can be time consuming to research as the information you need to gather to make your selection may be from different sources.
Career prospects of a specialist
The career growth of a psychologist depends on the improvement and expansion of his skills, the methods he uses, and the demand for his services. At an enterprise, such a specialist can grow from an ordinary employee to the head of the HR service, deputy head of personnel matters. A successful psychologist can eventually open his own commercial office providing psychological assistance. But to be in demand, a specialist does not need a higher education diploma. It is necessary to constantly study, improve your skills through courses and trainings, learn new methods of psychodiagnostics and assistance, and express yourself.
What awaits the specialty in the near future?
The work of thinking, psychological qualities, and the reasons for their manifestation are key objects of study by psychologists. Certified specialists will always be in demand in the labor market. Only they can provide professional assistance to those in critical situations. The specialist helps people use their own internal resources for both personal and career growth. In the coming years, the need for psychologists will only grow. First of all, specialists with diplomas from top universities will be in demand.
Source:
Center for Humanitarian Technologies
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Attitude to medications
Psychologists may be against drugs in general or accept their importance. It depends more on the individuality of the specialist, rather than on the profession. However, psychotherapists, like doctors, are more inclined to take medications. Of course, the psychologist may suggest that you talk to a psychotherapist and may refer you to one. However, its job is not so much to control the symptoms of mental disorders as to teach you coping techniques and guide you in the process of examining your feelings, thoughts and behaviors.
