Psychotherapists must have a psychological education.

Whether a psychotherapist is also required to be a doctor is a complex question. In some countries, it is believed that only psychiatrists can practice psychotherapy (for example, hypnotherapy); in others, it is believed that since psychotherapy developed from psychology, not medicine, psychologists with special psychotherapeutic (not medical education) have every right to work with non-medical requests.

General opinion: a psychotherapist must have either a medical or psychological education and, at the same time, he must undergo specialized multi-year training in addition to the method in which he works.

A psychologist may not have a psychotherapeutic education, may not engage in treatment, but exclusively in diagnostic and research work and testing. This is the difference between a psychologist and a psychotherapist.

Why do we need psychotherapy?

The client may have different goals, fears, anxiety, old resentment or inability to build relationships. Unlike a friendly conversation, the therapist adheres to a certain ethics, strategy and methodology in the conversation. The format of this conversation and the approaches used depend on the psychotherapeutic direction of the specialist.

For example, in a situation where a client has problems at work, a cognitive-behavioral approach will help to respond to difficulties differently, without panic, by analyzing the beliefs that lie behind the behavior and help change them. A humanistic psychotherapist will help you express grievances, expectations, fears and thus gain self-confidence. Systemic family psychotherapy will help to detect behavior at work - a consequence of incorrect relationships in the family, and by regulating relationships within the family, not only the family system will change, but also the situation at work. The strategy and reasons will not necessarily be the same, just to illustrate that psychotherapeutic approaches with strategy in different methods may differ.

In addition to conversations at meetings, psychotherapists give special exercises and homework.

It has been experimentally proven that the effect of psychotherapy is comparable to drug treatment and does not depend on the age and social status of the client, and the effect lasts longer.

Beware of impostors - that is, people without any psychological or psychotherapeutic education. They usually offer to solve the problem in one or two sessions. There are short-term methods of psychotherapy (I also use them), but still not that short-term (up to 10 sessions) and although sometimes a quick solution to the problem happens, only an unqualified specialist can promise this. It is especially suspicious if a person refuses to take money for his services (not working in some kind of externally funded program), perhaps he solves his problems at your expense, or is obsessed with the idea of ​​imposing his ideas on others. If a specialist immediately intimidates or lectures you, then this is also a bad sign.

It happens, of course, that a specialist is good, but not suitable for you. The reason for this may be many factors that do not always depend on the psychotherapist himself.

Sometimes a psychotherapist may refer you to a doctor or refer you to a psychiatrist. You shouldn’t be afraid of this, the more specialists exchange information, the more complete the picture of the disease and the easier it is to form the correct hypothesis and, accordingly, a treatment strategy.

Starting to take care of your mental health is awesome.

Here are six thoughts that are useful to arm yourself with before psychotherapy.

1. You don't have to have a serious problem to see a psychotherapist.

In addition to mental disorders, which are a serious cause, in many situations a person needs psychological support and there is no need to be ashamed of this. If you feel like you can’t cope on your own, then it’s time to turn to a specialist.

2. It is useful to schedule the first meeting on a weekend or after hours.

If you have not had any experience of seeking psychological help, then you may experience strong emotions during the session and it will take time to come to your senses.

3. Having chosen a specialist, you are not obliged to stay with him in therapy.

If after the first session it seems to you that the psychotherapist does not understand you well or after several sessions there is no feeling of moving forward towards solving the problem, feel free to look for another specialist. Sometimes it’s even useful to say right before the first session,  about a trial meeting and selection of a specialist.

4. It is useful to write down your questions for therapy,  It’s okay, you’ll figure it out at the meeting. Some people find it easy to open up, but others don't. You can always ask to slow down the progress of therapy if you are not ready to discuss deeper topics. “I’m not ready to talk about it yet” is normal. A good specialist will help you express yourself and understand.

5. There is no need to expect a solution to the problem after the first meeting. Your problems have been accumulating for years, it is foolish to expect that they will be solved in one session. But after a good session there should be a feeling of moving forward, of gaining at least something new.

6. Be proud that you took the first step. After all, psychotherapy is a long and difficult path to oneself, and starting this path is already a feat. You will become stronger on the journey, and it doesn't last a lifetime. Everyone has their own path - maybe several months or several years, decide for yourself.

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Take action and you will succeed!