What is a psychologist? What does a psychologist do? The competence of a psychologist. What do practical psychologists do?

A psychologist is a specialist who studies the principles of correcting the behavior and mental life of a person. He uses this knowledge to help people and optimize their activities.

The first psychological laboratory was opened by Wundt in Leipzig in 1879. Later, similar schools and laboratories were opened in other countries, including Russia, where all sorts of areas developed - psychoanalysis, behaviorism, humanistic psychology.

Types of activities of a psychologist

The main activities of a psychologist include counseling, psychological diagnostics, psychological training.

Diagnostics - the study of the individual characteristics of the human psyche with the help of tests. Counseling is a communication between a client and a psychologist, which is aimed at finding options for solving problems that disturb the client, as well as at a fuller realization of his abilities. Training is active learning in ways of personal growth, emotional regulation and problem solving. Psychological training usually takes place in the form of group sessions that combine a variety of psychological exercises and games. Some specialists combine all these activities, however, most often, psychologists specialize in one thing.

Personal qualities and place of work of a psychologist

Psychologists work mainly in specialized centers. In addition, many experts are scientific research and teaching. Often they realize their knowledge in other activities with people. For example, human resources managers in all sorts of organizations very often have a psychological education.

Such a delicate and complex task as psychological help, requires certain both professional and spiritual qualities. A true specialist must be able to listen and hear the interlocutor. He must have developed logic, intelligence, stress resistance, the ability to analyze and draw the right conclusions.

Many people confuse such different specialties as psychotherapist, psychiatrist and psychologist. However, it should be noted that a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist are doctors who have received education in medical schools, and a psychologist is not a doctor. He studies not the human psyche, but his inner world, state of mind and helps to find harmony, both with other people and with oneself.

Child psychologist consultation

It is worth signing up for a consultation with a psychologist if the child has childhood fears, obsessive actions (hair twisting, thumb sucking), aggression, anxiety and tantrums. It will not be superfluous to consult a child psychologist for psychosomatic diseases - tics, enuresis, high / low blood pressure, stuttering, as well as child masturbation. At the consultation, you can get advice from a psychologist regarding the upbringing, development and education of the child.

Typically, a child psychologist works with healthy children. He helps healthy children overcome their difficulties. If the child is sick, the child psychologist works with a neurologist or psychiatrist.

At the beginning of the consultation, the psychologist talks about disturbing problems with the parents, and then conducts a psychological diagnosis of the child’s personality traits and intellectual development and talks with him to assess the existing problem and select adequate correction methods. Corrective work, most often, is carried out by a specialist in the office, and parents receive recommendations on corrective work at home. For corrective work art therapy is used (sculpting, drawing, music), play therapy, fairy tale therapy and body-oriented psychotherapy. By using special techniques specialist determines the level psychological readiness seven year old child to school.

During the consultation, the psychologist helps to relieve lethargy, irritability, hyperactivity in children. He will try to eliminate the causes of poor academic performance and learning (scattered attention, impaired logical thinking), to identify and solve problems in relationships with peers at school or in kindergarten.

Family psychologist

Consultation with a family psychologist most often helps to solve most conflict issues in the family. The family psychologist during the analysis of problems acts as an independent expert, without taking sides. The specialist tries to do everything possible so that the spouses decide everything conflict situations and saved the family. When a marriage breaks up, timely advice from a psychologist helps to establish civilized communication between former spouses.

There are many myths and confusions associated with the question of what a psychologist is. AT modern world The profession of a psychologist is one of the most demanded and widespread.

The makings of this profession originated in ancient greece, where specially trained people had long conversations with patients and tried to cure their soul with this - or, in other words, “psycho”.

Much has changed in psychology over the course of several thousand years, but the concept has remained virtually unchanged. The main role in this science is played by the inner world of a person - his conflicts, traumas, thoughts, emotions.

The nineteenth century was the century of biology, the twentieth was the century of physics, the twenty-first was the century of psychology.
Arkady Petrovich Egides

Who is a psychologist and why is he needed?

A psychologist can only be called a person who has received the appropriate higher education. Depending on qualifications and specialization, he can work with different age groups, as well as with various spheres of human life - family, business, educational, sports, etc.

There are several branches of psychology:

1. General psychology - studies the mental activity of a person;
2. Psychology of personality - studies the inner world of a person;
3. Developmental psychology - studies the human psyche from birth to death;
4. Pedagogical psychology - studies the methods of education and training;
5. Psychology of communication - studies and solves the problems of interaction between people;
6. Medical psychology (more recently clinical psychology) - studies mental phenomena in terms of their relationship with diseases.

Do not confuse . Unlike a psychiatrist, a psychologist is engaged in solving the internal problems of mentally healthy people - liberation from emotional traumas, complexes, establishing relationships with certain people, etc.

In order to carry out psychological activity, a psychologist does not need an in-depth medical education, unlike a psychiatrist, who receives it in the first place. A psychiatrist works with mentally ill people who have serious mental illnesses and deviations.

The role of psychologists is currently very important - many enterprises, schools, higher educational establishments do not do without these specialists. It is psychologists who resolve most of the conflicts and misunderstandings that arise during the work process.

Features of the profession

1. Stress tolerance;
2. Humanity;
3. Goodwill;
4. The ability to listen;
5. Ability to penetrate the essence of the patient's internal problems.

There are several types of psychologists-specialists in the field of communication with the client:

1. Consultant- A person who talks to a patient. Work given psychologist comes down to discussing problems with the client, establishing communicative interaction with him;
2. Art Therapist- a psychologist who solves the internal problems of patients with the help of artistic activity;
3. Psychotherapist- a specialist who specializes in solving the patient's internal problems with the help of bodily practices;
4. NLP psychologist- a specialist who helps to solve problems by selecting an individual technique for the development of mental, spiritual, creative abilities.

Clinical psychology

Clinical psychology is one of the most developed and most complex branches of psychology. It is aimed at studying and diagnosing a person's personality, his inner world, emotions and experiences in terms of their relationship with mental illness or disorders.

A clinical psychologist is a specialist who helps his patients get rid of the consequences of severe nervous breakdowns, injuries, find inner peace, and rehabilitate mentally after certain traumatic situations. Clinical psychology borders on psychiatry, but its scope is wider and is not aimed at the rehabilitation of mentally unhealthy people. Much attention in this branch of psychology is given to the unconscious.

Clinical psychology considers a person's behavior and his inner world as a reaction to certain psychological and physical injury, complexes and disorders.

The clinical psychologist most often encounters:

• Victims of psychological or physical abuse;
• People with disabilities who experience deep emotional experiences about their physical data;
• Patients experiencing a deep spiritual crisis (for example, due to the death of a loved one);

In addition to all of the above, a clinical psychologist can work with patients who do not have serious psychological disorders - married couples, children, adolescents and the elderly. In this case, it helps patients to adapt to a particular life situation.

Clinical psychology includes several subsections, each of which is closely related to the other. When diagnosing a patient's psychological health, indicators of all industries are taken into account:

1. pathopsychology- studies mental disorders from the point of view of damage to the central nervous system;
2. Neuropsychology- studies the behavior and character of a person from the point of view of the work of the brain and nervous system;
3. Psychosomatics- chapter clinical psychology studying the behavior and psychological state of a person in terms of bodily diseases;
4. Psychological therapy- a section of clinical psychology aimed at the internal rehabilitation of a person, getting rid of traumatic memories and behavioral techniques.

Psychologists in Russia - average salary

The salary of a psychologist half depends on the quality of his education and the scope of his activities - research, scientific (experimental psychologist, psychologist-scientist), practical (clinical psychologist, child psychologist) and teaching (psychology teacher). How much a psychologist receives is a controversial issue, since in most cases the salary is in proportion to the personal qualities of the psychologist.

The factors that affect the income level of a specialist in the psychological field are:

1. The quality of education and its degree (master's, bachelor's, postgraduate);
2. Work experience - experienced specialists are paid on average 1.5 times more than novice psychologists;
3. Type of education received (clinical psychologist, general practice psychologist, child psychologist, etc.);
4. The organization or place of work of a psychologist (in developed firms, psychologists-consultants receive more than psychologists working with children in kindergartens).

Second in average wages the cities of Kazan, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk cost a little more than 20-25 thousand rubles. In other cities, psychologists receive from 11 to 17-20 thousand rubles, depending on work experience.

In some organizations, employees are rewarded with high bonuses. Sometimes the average salary of a psychologist can increase by 1.5-2 times, which makes him better and more competent as a specialist.

Psychological fact: Emotional pain lasts 12 minutes.
Everything else is self-indulgence.

Psychologist as a specialist

Psychology arose more than two thousand years ago, when people first began to think about the relationship of the soul, body and emotions and the influence of these three components on the behavior and character of a person.

Do you think it is possible modern society to exist without this science? And if so, how can a person learn to independently find a way to himself in complex emotional experiences? Share your opinion in the comments and be the best psychologists for yourself!

In this Ukrainian t However, in the official list of professions now there is neither a PR manager nor a psychologist, but there are fortune-tellers and bioenergetics. Here I think prostitutes will appear earlier or not?

Since not all psychologists (and their clients even more so) know what they are doing, we will write here about species work of a practicing psychologist. Psychological help. There are four of them.

Psychotherapy- the most famous, the oldest, the most method of work. And of course, at its core, therapy is connected with the “clinic”. That is, with abnormal deviations in the perception of the world and, accordingly, behavior. This is a long procedure; rather to occupy the time of psychiatrists, graduates of medical universities. Historically, there has been a division of therapies into psycho-schools (which are sometimes completely opposite in methods): psychoanalysis, gestalt, cognitive, psychodrama, art, fairy tale, client-centered, etc.

You are here, for example, if you periodically see your late grandfather while having sex. By the way, Rosenhan's experiment proved that any person can be diagnosed as a mental patient, so there is nothing to be ashamed of.
There are also many “young” psychologists hanging out here who experiment on themselves in the hope of “at least something will help” - you can make acquaintances.

training (recent times they were divorced “like uncut dogs”) - a group form of work, where in a minimum period of time participants acquire a maximum of new skills on a specific topic. As a result - "I can", and not just "I know". It is believed that it is psychologists who understand how to intensively organize the training process by identifying mental and social strategies each person.

It’s worth going if there is some kind of inability that interferes with life. Prices for the same training can vary dozens of times thanks to the science of marketing and the magic prefix "corporate".

Psychocounseling- this is what is considered a classic of the work of the "ordinary" psychologist. in civilized countries. Cabinet, client, request/problem, energazing. I guess the church doesn't like psychologists because counseling has replaced confession. Normal (that is, those who have not yet been diagnosed =) people come here with everyday difficulties. The purpose of the work is to inspire the client to take and solve this problem (himself!), to prevent the occurrence of problems of this type. Along the way, increasing psychological competence (taking responsibility for your life, understanding yourself, your place, other people). In counseling, each psychologist selects in a highly specialized way those problems that he best solves - this is how family, children, psychological and pedagogical (teenagers, young parents), the elderly, business, crisis, prison and military, getting rid of addictions, etc. stand out.

Let's go if a girl/boyfriend left you cynically, kicked you out of work, suddenly there were conflicts in the family, etc. The price to Kyiv from an average consultant is 150 UAH/hour.

Psychocorrection- this is not so much help in overcoming the problem as a deep transformation of the client himself. The request (problem) is just a trigger. Essence: intervention in the process of its development - improvement of the best (strong healthy developed) sides. AT humanistic direction- achieving balance, success, happiness and self-realization. At times more difficult than consulting (problems are standards, clients are unique)! Appropriate techniques from different schools of therapy are used. And also from the psychology of sports (which is called transformative coaching). Here it is necessary not only to know, understand and accept all psycho-schools, but to choose what will work right now for this particular client.

It is worth resorting if suddenly you are not satisfied with personal achievements and the life you live. Unfortunately, there are very, very, very few truly good specialists in psychocorrectors.

Many of those who are thinking about becoming a psychologist have little idea of ​​what they can do. Various areas of application of psychological knowledge are often confused in the head. Agree, the work of a psychologist in a kindergarten is fundamentally different from the work of providing emergency psychological assistance in emergency situations.

Therefore, even at the stage of obtaining a psychological education, it is worth deciding on the desired direction of activity and learning better about what a psychologist can do and where he can work. Many psychologists have to try a variety of professions before they find exactly what they would like to do.. Someone goes through work at school, in kindergarten or on a helpline before realizing that they would like to do psychological training. Someone finds his calling in working with orphans and psychological rehabilitation of families. Someone knows from the start that his path is private psychological practice with his office. Someone chooses a research direction.

All these areas are very different. Each of them requires different skills, abilities, experience. Even within the same field of activity, you can do a variety of things. For example, a psychologist in private practice may work with children, with families, or with specific problems. A psychologist at school can work with parents, children and teachers, conduct classes, engage in psychological diagnostics.

If the direction of the future professional activity is known in advance, it is possible already at the stage of training to focus on a particular topic and field of activity, to acquire additional skills and knowledge needed specifically for this area. However, if it is very difficult to decide, attempts to find yourself in different directions are unlikely to bring harm - they, rather, will allow you to broaden your horizons, better understand yourself, decide what exactly you would like to do.

Psychologists are those who want to work with people, help or have power over them. And someone simply considers this profession fashionable, popular and prestigious. Psychological education in modern conditions is becoming an important factor in achieving success in various fields (personnel, trade, services, management). Specialists who understand the principles of human behavior and are able to communicate are in demand everywhere and always.

After graduating, a young specialist can work:

psychologist-consultant in the education system and preschool education in the social sphere; in service psychological counseling(family, individual, coaching);
in hospitals and clinics;
teach psychology in universities, gymnasiums, lyceums, colleges, schools;
in the personnel service (assistant director, recruiter, manager or director of personnel);
in trade (from a seller in an elite boutique, an administrator and supervisor to a corporate trainer).

Getting a degree in psychology is just the beginning. You need to choose the sphere of application of forces, patiently accumulate experience and "study, study and study again." A good psychologist will not be left without a job.
A psychologist with an education but no work experience can count on working in schools, kindergartens, a state psychological center, etc.
A psychologist-specialist with at least three years of experience can continue to improve professionally or, by changing the field of activity, can take up personnel work, administration, sales, starting from the lower or middle level.
A professional psychologist with at least five years of experience can work in a specialized psychological service, engage in private counseling, get a job as a business coach, become a human resources director or general director.

To be successful, a psychologist must be: a personally mature person (authentic), have life experience, high intelligence, erudition, emotional stability and competence, sense of humor and charm.

Let's imagine that you decide to work in the field of psychology, in the field of education, business, culture, social sphere. Do you know what kind of specialists are needed in these areas, and what exactly they do? Here is an incomplete list of them:
Organizational psychologist- solves the problem of optimizing the use of human resources in institutions, firms, public associations. This is, first of all, all types of personnel work - from the selection of personnel to the development of the personnel policy of the company, assistance to managers, ensuring external relations of the organization with the public.
legal psychologist works in the field of legal relations, most often in close contact with lawyers of various profiles. This may be work with law enforcement personnel, including special units, in penitentiary institutions. A legal psychologist can become an indispensable assistant to lawyers, participating in litigation both on the part of the plaintiff and the defendant.
Clinical (medical) psychologist is a specialist who takes responsibility for organizing a special process during which the client acquires the ability to solve his life's difficulties. Traditionally, a clinical psychologist is engaged in psychodiagnostics (for example, during a medical and social examination), counseling (non-medical psychotherapy) and rehabilitation (restoration of lost mental and physical capabilities). Recently, such modern areas of work of a clinical psychologist as neuropsychology, psychopharmacology have been increasingly developed.

Where can a clinical psychologist work?

First of all, this is the healthcare sector, various medical institutions of a general somatic and neuropsychiatric profile in inpatient and outpatient settings for adults and children.
Another important area of ​​application of forces is the field of education, where clinical psychologists can work as psychologists in educational institutions. different levels, teachers of psychology in secondary, special and higher educational institutions of any profile.
The third important area is the work in the subdivisions of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. This is work with diverse manifestations in adults and children of post-traumatic stress disorders that arose as a result of emergency events: disasters, terrorist attacks, death of loved ones and relatives, etc.
Another important area and a very popular field of activity of a clinical psychologist is the penitentiary system, which is actively developing a psychological service and is in dire need of highly qualified clinical psychologists.
Finally, this is the most extensive area of ​​social work in all its diversity.
In addition, clinical psychologists can work as human resources managers, consultants in the areas of management, business and public relations.

It should be noted that the broadest and fundamental professional training that ensures the performance of diagnostic, corrective, consultative, expert, preventive, rehabilitation, research and educational activities by clinical psychologists makes them quite competitive and in demand as specialists in a variety of and sometimes unexpected areas.

Who do practical psychologists work for? Mostly by clinical psychologists in general hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, neuropsychiatric and narcological dispensaries, children's rehabilitation and rehabilitation centers, a speech pathology center, as well as in enterprises in personnel management departments.

Psychologist in the education system conducts work in an educational institution aimed at ensuring the mental health and development of the personality of children and adolescents. Identifies the conditions that impede the formation of the child's personality and through psychoprophylaxis, psychodiagnostics, psychocorrection, counseling and rehabilitation. Provides assistance to children, teachers and parents (persons replacing them) in solving personal professional and other specific problems. Forms the psychological culture of children, teachers and parents (persons replacing them), including the culture of sexual education.

Advising managers and employees educational institution on the development of this institution, the practical application of psychology, focused on improving the socio-psychological competence of children, teachers, parents (persons replacing them).

Practical psychologist- a specialist with the appropriate education and skill level, providing psychological assistance (psychological services) to the population, including a full or partial range of areas provided for by the relevant job responsibilities, determined by the relevant "Regulations on the psychological service" and a specific situation requiring psychological intervention or the use of special psychological knowledge and technologies.

The main activities of a practical psychologist in the establishment of the education system, provided for by the "Regulations on the psychological service of education" are:

Psychologist-consultant. Understanding counseling as "helping people to help themselves".

In the practical work of a consultant, especially if he uses systemic changes as a method of assistance, his assistance can take on a very different nature: from family counseling and psychotherapy (in the case of working with the family as a microsystem) to organizational and political counseling. However, despite such a wide range that psychological assistance can have, it should be borne in mind a set of specific possible outcomes or outcomes that are typical of care practice :

improved understanding (problems, self, others, etc.);
change in emotional state (this may be a discharge emotional stress, exploration of one's feelings, acceptance of some of one's feelings, etc.);
ability to make a decision;
ability to implement decision;
confirmation of their thoughts, feelings, decisions;
getting support;
adaptation to a situation that cannot be changed;
search and study of alternatives;
receiving practical help through direct action (assistant and other professionals attracted by the assistant);
development of existing skills and abilities, acquisition of new ones;
receiving the information;
response to the actions of other people and the situation.

Counseling is a process in which a person achieves a higher level of personal (personal) competence.
Just as a psychologist can work in various professional “roles” depending on the goals, objectives and place of work (for example, as a researcher, theorist, expert, psychotherapist, consultant, psychologist-trainer, teacher, etc.), so can a consultant, depending Depending on the goals, objectives and place of work, he or she may, to varying degrees, preferentially use one or another method of providing assistance.
Of course, no matter how many types of assistance we single out, each of them cannot be free from theoretical principles and values.

A clinical psychologist is a qualified specialist in the field of medical (clinical) psychology, engaged in research within this psychological area, diagnosing and correcting certain problems, including borderline conditions.

Despite the fact that in the context of clinical psychology, a certain rate during training and work is placed on the medical component of the profession, specialists in this field also have basic psychological knowledge. Such a moment opens up more opportunities for self-realization and helping people for a clinical psychologist.

Before getting an idea of ​​the main nuances of the profession, you need to understand what differences exist between the so-called "simple" psychologists and narrow medical specialists.

In the modern system of higher specialized education The training of specialists in the field of psychology can conditionally be divided into two branches:

• pedagogical, giving the opportunity to teach in schools or institutes;
• medical, in view of which students must pass a number of specialized subjects, as a result of which they receive a diploma in medical psychology.

However, despite this feature, psychology as a professional direction is dominant. If a qualified doctor during diagnosis and treatment relies on medical methods and has the opportunity to conduct drug therapy, then in the case of a clinical psychologist, the main methods of correcting the client's (patient's) condition remain psychological techniques impact.

What are these experts teaching?

You can get such a specialization in any higher educational institution where there is a corresponding department.

Unlike students studying in a different profile (general, social, and so on), in the process of studying, future medical psychologists often study such subjects as neurology, narcology, psychiatry, and others in depth and in more detail.

As part of the clinical direction, special attention is paid to the following sections:

• psychosomatics;
• pathopsychology;
• neuropsychology.

Unlike doctors, a clinical psychologist does not have the task of completing an internship. Further training is usually carried out independently. Such a specialist can additionally take courses in counseling or conducting training groups, study in detail individual psychological areas and methods.

What are the features of their work

A specialist in this field can be both a theorist and a practitioner. In most cases, the stake is still placed on psychodiagnostics and psychocorrection.

A clinical psychologist needs to have the skills to work and interact not only with sick people, but also with persons who are conditionally or completely healthy. Due to this nuance, such specialists do not deal exclusively with patients with borderline conditions, for example, neurosis or depression.

The work takes place with people who have mental disorders due to somatic diseases (serious injuries, including craniocerebral injuries, strokes, oncological diseases, and so on). The focus is on contact with the patient's immediate environment, when there is a need to train family members in the correct interaction with a sick person.

It may be relevant to intervene in the correction of the condition in children, including those with increased anxiety, an abundance of fears, and the initial stages of neurotic conditions.

Another feature of this profession is that a specialist can engage in family counseling when the internal climate is disturbed and can negatively affect both physically and mentally. A psychologist educated on a medical basis often pays attention to social work. He can engage in educational activities, work with the staff of hospitals and clinics, participate in the development of plans for mental hygiene or psychoprophylaxis.

Such a specialist is part of a team to determine the condition of a person before prescribing a disability for any reason. Increasingly, the help of a clinical psychologist is resorted to in medical and forensic examinations. As part of a general diagnosis of the patient's condition, a clinical psychologist works together with psychiatrists, psychotherapists, neurologists and other representatives of the medical profession.

The specificity of this profession involves the conduct of psycho-correction and diagnostic procedures with people with various addictions, eating disorders, and in general.

Despite the fact that in recent years in the states and Europe the option of expanding the rights, opportunities and responsibilities of medical psychologists has been considered, such a specialist does not have pharmacological therapy in the arsenal of the main methods. The main "working tools" in the treatment and rehabilitation and what the specialist does are:

Work as a medical psychologist

Due to the peculiarities of this psychological education, the skills that specialists in the field of medical psychology possess after receiving a diploma, the field of activity is as extensive as the places of employment. Where can a clinical psychologist prove himself, having received the necessary qualifications?

Where do the representatives of this profession work?

A medical psychologist, as well as a psychologist of a different direction, has the opportunity to conduct counseling and engage in private practice. In this variant, interaction often takes place with people who are not sick, but those who are in a crisis situation, when there is no way to cope with a problem or condition on their own.

Representatives of this profession work in polyclinics, at psycho-neurological dispensaries, in psychiatric hospitals and clinics, where they deal with patients with neurosis and other borderline conditions. The place of work of a clinical psychologist can be a hospice, children's or adult hospital. In this variant, the psychologist provides support to patients with different forms of somatic diseases, "leads" the patient throughout the entire period of treatment, tracking the dynamics of the state, correcting psychological problems and influencing the prevention of the development of mental illnesses.

A demanded person with this specialization can be in nursing homes, in boarding schools and orphanages, where there are children with various developmental disorders (physical, mental). Specialized educational institutions, sanatoriums and rehabilitation centers in different areas also cooperate with such specialists.

The profession of a medical psychologist involves extensive work with completely different people who can influence the psychologist himself. Because of this, there is a risk of professional, emotional burnout. A person who chooses such a path for himself must have certain personality traits, for example, stress resistance, a significant level of patience and a desire to help others. And also be prepared for all possible difficulties that are encountered on the professional path.