What is a psychologist? What does a psychologist do? The competence of a psychologist. Psychologist

Now I conditionally divide all those involved in psychology professionally into two groups: psychologists-diagnostics and psychologists-trainers. Both are equally important and necessary.

Diagnostic psychologists are those who examine individuals and groups of people (production, sports and educational teams) with the help of tests and, based on the test results, give appropriate conclusions to the customer of the test or recommendations to the psychologist-trainer. They are as important as laboratory assistants, radiologists, fibrogastroscopy specialists for medicine, forensic scientists for investigators, accompanists for singers.

I do not want to oppose one to the other, although I myself am more of a trainer than a diagnostician, although at the first stages I was very passionate about diagnostic work. But I want to emphasize that without psychologists-diagnostics, psychologists-trainers in some cases would be helpless, like blind kittens. In this area, you can make a decent career, make good money and become famous. Who now does not know the names of the creators of the tests: Luscher, Eysenck, Kettel, Leary and many others!

When I mastered diagnostic methods, I was simply amazed that within 1-2 hours you can penetrate the secrets of a person of the soul and learn more about him than in a few years of relatively close acquaintance. When I started working as a psychiatrist, and there were no full-time psychologists, I myself conducted a psychological examination of patients. This helped a lot both in clarifying the diagnosis in especially difficult cases, and in building a treatment plan and monitoring the progress of recovery. There is, for example, a simple test that determines the level of performance. The patient already subjectively feels good, wants to get to work, but when testing for performance, it is revealed that his attention is still unstable, he quickly gets tired and begins to make many mistakes. This allows you to keep him on the sick leave, correct the treatment. If, upon re-examination, the working capacity returned to normal, then this was an indication for the end of treatment. When professional psychologists appeared in our clinic, they did just that, freeing doctors from such work. In addition, their conclusions were much more accurate.

An even greater role of diagnostic psychologists is noticeable during psychological work in labor and sports teams. There it is necessary to determine the psychological state of not only individuals, but also the collective as such. Here good example. One of the football teams of the major league was "under threat of leaving it, although the team could be, if not among the winners, then at least in the safe middle in terms of the skill of the players. When the psychological state of each participant and the structure of interpersonal relations were examined, it turned out that each of the players and even the second coach, in principle, felt good, but the relationship between many players was hostile, there was a fairly large group of players who had a negative attitude towards the head coach.It is clear that the team was not a close-knit team, but cooperation. to say that the leading players and the second coach already know which teams they will work in if their team “takes off” from the major leagues. in the big leagues."

One more example.

A group of psychologists examined a large construction association, which included a number of construction and installation departments, a timber industry enterprise, concrete plants, a woodworking plant, etc. , in what order this association will lose its units, and recommendations were made accordingly. The head put the materials under the cloth. But when the predictions of psychologists began to come true and one construction and installation department had already left the association, then the head decided to listen to the opinion of psychologists. Once again, this rather expensive examination was carried out, the necessary measures were clarified.

In universities, all future psychologists are trained in diagnostic work. Some people are so fascinated by this work that they, after graduating from university, do just that. And they do the right thing if their interests are satisfied by this work, and their abilities correspond to them. But the trainer also needs to be familiar with the diagnostic work in order to know the possibilities of diagnostics, to formulate the tasks that interest him during the examination, and in order to understand the conclusions of the diagnostic psychologist.

By the way, here I want to say what abilities you need to have in order to become a psychologist. Any, if only there was a desire to become a psychologist, because the areas where he can find application for his abilities are unlimited in psychology.

We give some simple tests in the appendix. Experiment with yourself and with your loved ones. See if you like this job. If you like it, then it will become clear to you where to go to study. And if your conclusions coincide with reality, then the subjects will look at you as a gifted psychologist. Remember that a diagnostic psychologist is never wrong and always conducts an experiment on two people - the subject and himself. And if his conclusion does not correspond to the mental status of the person he examines, then it certainly suits the psychologist himself. And if the psychologist expresses a conclusion about the lack of intelligence of the one whom he examined, but in fact it turns out that his ward is very clever man, then we can safely conclude that the psychologist is not qualified enough.

When you conduct experiments with your loved ones, you should take into account that everyone wants to hear about himself, what he " good guy”, but, on the other hand, it is necessary, after all, to tell the truth, that is, to say something bad about a person. This is where ingenuity is needed, because the test cuts the truth-womb directly. One psychologist examined the head of the institution, wanting to demonstrate the possibilities of psychology and conclude a profitable contract. According to the text of the test, it turned out that the subject is an intelligent, indecisive and timid person. With the same words, the psychologist gave a conclusion. Now guess if he signed a cooperation agreement? Of course not. His competitor ran the same test with the same executive and got the same result. But I told him something like this: you are a smart person, but you doubt yourself and spend a lot of time to make a decision and miss many opportunities. Trust your mind more and things will get better for you. The cooperation agreement was signed.

The psychologist-diagnostician has another advantage. He does not need to especially work on his personality and master the skills of psychologically competent communication. AT real life he may turn out to be an ordinary person and make the same mistakes as those who turn to him for help. Nevertheless, his conclusions will have their value, for he draws conclusions based on known psychological tests developed by others or even by himself, repeatedly verified by various studies. So, for example, the Luscher color test, now widely known and often used in modern psychological diagnostics, was created as follows. Approximately 20,000 people were placed in succession in rooms upholstered with drapery in all eight colors: blue, green, red, yellow, crimson, brown, black and gray. All of them underwent a thorough examination in each room. Based on the results of this survey, a test was compiled.

When we created a color sociometric test on the basis of this test, we tested 100 groups of 10-15 people each simultaneously using sociometric methods known to them and according to ours and showed that ours, not inferior in reliability to those already known, reveals such information that you can get impossible for those tests.

So, if the testing is done correctly, then it is better to trust the test than your impressions.

Now a few words about the psychologist-trainer. A specialist of this profile should help a person get rid of stereotypes of behavior that interfere with him and teach him new ones, save him from shyness, indecision, shyness, arrogance and everything that often makes up the structure of his personality and character and prevents him from achieving his goals and satisfying his needs.

This is a long and painstaking job. It takes time (sometimes months and years) to get rid of personality traits that interfere with life and develop character traits and behaviors that allow you to achieve your goals.

Therefore, a psychologist-trainer, before starting coaching, must himself get rid of some qualities, from which he will then help his wards get rid of, and master all the skills that his wards should learn. It's hard for me to imagine how a shy coach can teach their client sociability or help teach certain behaviors if he doesn't know them himself. Of course, it happens later that capable students bypass their teacher, but he must master the primary elements of skills. A psychologist-trainer must be physically healthy, have a high social rating and be well financially provided. Of course, a psychologist will never have such riches as the capitalist oligarch whom he will train, but he simply needs to be financially independent of him, otherwise he will voluntarily or involuntarily be afraid of losing him and he will be worried not by the truth, but by the desire to please his client, i.e., become a sycophant, which will make his work ineffective. And in general, as Seneca said, you can calmly possess only what you are not afraid to lose.

In particular, in our trainings we teach our students the principle of depreciation, that is, to agree with all the statements of a communication partner, at least at the beginning, so that a conflict does not arise, and only then express their point of view. This is very difficult for many, but when they learn this, they get the necessary results. And now a few examples of how a psychologist-trainer works. Listen to the story of one of my students.

A teenager at the age of 15, physically well developed and looking older than his years, always an exemplary boy, serious, active, engaged in sports school and server great expectations, unexpectedly carried away by a girl of 20 years. He began to return home late, skip training, study worse at school. The girl he was dating had a lot of sexual experience, which also scared the parents. The son said that he loves her, that he is already an adult and knows what to do. Beliefs, scandals had no effect. The mother was constantly sobbing, the father was depressed: he had to go swimming soon, and the mother had to be admitted to the hospital.

Depreciation was carried out by the father, who took a small course of study. Here's what it looked like:

Son, I'm sorry we interfere in your life. We somehow missed that you have already grown up. You really understand more in life and nobler than us. And you can love better. Indeed, what does it matter that she is older and already has sexual experience? Maybe it's even better. Comparing you with others, your chosen one will be devoted to you.

I will not describe the amazement of my son. I didn't see it myself. I know from my father. Relations improved after three days. The mother also mastered the shock absorption technique and was discharged from the hospital. The son, left to himself, soon figured out his chosen one and stopped meeting with her a week later. And this example is more complicated.

Communication skills are best developed in psychological games. There are a lot of them. One of them, developed by me, "Royal Court", solving a number of other psychological problems, allows you to learn how to manage. The breeder, a volunteer from the group, is taken from the members of the group to make up the royal court, that is, he chooses the king, queen, favorite, jester, prime minister and the whole cabinet, executioner, jester, princess, whipping girl, etc. And by the fact as the breeder does, it becomes clear to himself and those around him that he does not know how to manage. The voice is uncertain, the orders are amorphous, he does not dare to appoint to unpopular positions. If the training is successful, after two or three attempts, the choice becomes more accurate, the orders are clearer, and the voice is confident.

Who you decide to become, it is better to decide now. If you are a coach, then go to a circle in the department where you can get the skills of a coach and at the same time solve your personal problems. But do not forget that this does not exempt you from mastering diagnostic techniques.

If you decide to become a psychologist-diagnostician, then it is better to join a circle at the department that not only deals with testing, but also develops tests itself.

If suddenly during your studies your interests change, try to use yourself in another area. The main thing is that you enjoy studying. As W. Shakespeare wrote,

Where there is no pleasure, there is no sense in that.

What you like, then study.

It is better to try options at the university so as not to rush about after graduation. In real life, I observed different options. It happened that the psychologist remained a diagnostician. The growth of his career went like this (you understand that I mean a specific person). Initially, he was a medical psychologist and examined patients. He never cared about coaching. His qualifications have grown. He began to teach psychology in one of the universities. He wrote his Ph.D. thesis based on the materials of the survey of the mental status of criminals and revealed some patterns, using which you can change the methods of education. And still he does not want to engage in coaching. But psychologists-trainers and psychiatrists are happy when he agrees to examine their wards. His social position and material support are quite sufficient for a decent life.

I can give you a lot of examples when diagnosticians became trainers and did not regret that they were engaged in diagnostic work for some time.

Some, who were immediately focused on coaching, soon realized that it was necessary to know the basics of diagnostics.

Of course, you can equally master both, but if you want to reach significant heights, then you should be more specific.

Psychologist is a specialist who studies the human psyche and provides him psychological help in different situations, with different psychological disorders. The psychologist received a higher humanitarian education in the specialty "Psychology". After graduating from a higher educational institution, a psychologist undergoes additional professional retraining in the area of ​​interest to him in psychology, as well as courses for mastering various methods psychological correction.

Psychology ( psyche - soul) is a science about a person - his consciousness, feelings, desires and behavior, about how what is called the soul works. Psychology is an applied science, which means that it can be considered as an important application to other sciences and disciplines. Psychologists work almost everywhere where people work ( even where technology does the main work, the human factor cannot be excluded).

Psychologists can work in the following institutions:

• educational institutions schools, kindergartens, higher educational establishments, colleges;
• health care institutions– polyclinics, health centres, hospitals and clinics ( psychiatric, narcological, oncological neurological and others), rehabilitation centers, women's consultation, psychological assistance centers and trust service;
• legal organizations– legal centers, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, correctional facilities, forensic examination and other organizations of a similar type;
• production and other organizations banks, firms HR or management department), civil aviation, a railway depot, a military regiment and the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Psychologists may also be in private practice ( work for yourself).

In addition to the psychologist, the following specialists deal with the human psyche:

• psychiatrist is a doctor who deals with diseases of the brain that violate the human psyche ( the cause is a disease, the effect is a mental disorder);
• psychotherapist- a doctor or psychologist mental disorders (the cause is the malfunctioning of the psyche, that is, unresolved problems, and the consequence is a disease), and using for this various methods psychotherapy.

Psychologist, psychotherapist and psychiatrist differ in different approaches to the same mental suffering.

If the question with the psychiatrist is more or less clear ( he is a doctor), then what is the difference between a psychologist-psychotherapist and an ordinary psychologist is not always clear, because they often use the same diagnostic tests and very close "in spirit" treatment methods. The difference is small, but it exists. According to the law Russian Federation, as well as some other CIS republics, only a doctor has the right to be called a psychotherapist, at the same time, in the United States of America, not only doctors, but also psychologists, as well as social workers can engage in psychotherapy after obtaining the appropriate license and practice under supervision. The main difference, however, is the right to prescribe medications, which only psychotherapists have.

A doctor of almost any specialty can become a psychologist, in order to provide patients with qualified psychological assistance in addition to medical care.

Psychiatrists, psychotherapists and psychologists often work together, as, for example, an attending physician, a diagnostic physician, and a consultant physician work together.

What does a psychologist do?

Psychologists are engaged in either pedagogical activities or provide psychological assistance, that is, they identify and help eliminate psychological problems. If the work of a psychologist is limited to consulting, he is usually called a consultant. A psychologist works with everything related to the human psyche, that is, his inner world or soul. The concept of "soul" among the ancient Greeks is described in deciphering the letter "psi" ( ψ ). It was this letter that became the symbol of psychology. This trident-shaped letter is said to represent the three parts human soul- earthly, heavenly and spiritual. If we reformat this into psychological terms, then we get such concepts as will ( desires, instincts), emotions ( the senses) and reason ( mind, thoughts). The same concept underlies many religions ( Trinity).

The work of the psyche

Depending on the activity, the following psychologists are distinguished:

• Psychologist in kindergarten - monitors the development and mental health of children. The psychologist works not only with children, but also with parents and educators.
• School psychologist– carries out psychological diagnostics and correction of students, advises parents and teachers on the state of mental health of children. In addition, there are special classes at the school, conducted by a psychologist.
• Family psychologist- helps to decide conflict situations between parents and children or between a married couple.
• Psychologist-consultant- gives recommendations in various areas where psychology is applicable ( psychologists-lawyers, business psychologists, coaches and so on).
• Psychologist-professional consultant- advises a person at work, determines his psychological portrait, helps to solve the problem of losing interest in his favorite work.
• military psychologist - works in the Ministry of the Interior and in military regiments, is engaged in the protection of the mental health of command and personnel. Particular attention is given to employees who have been in hot spots.
• Trust Service Psychologist- Works in the emergency psychological service.
• sports psychologist- increases the level of motivation of an athlete, psychological endurance, conducts classes among the team, helps to resolve interpersonal conflicts.
• Medical ( clinical) psychologist is a specialist who has received the education of a psychologist ( in a medical or humanitarian university) and studied medical disciplines related to psychology ( psychiatry, neurology, narcology), but is not a doctor. This specialist studies the relationship between the disease and the mental state, consults patients and their attending physicians.
• Rehabilitation psychologist– works with adolescent children who are experiencing difficulties in adapting to society, conducts their training, correction and restoration of impaired functions;
• Psychologist-perinatologist– works in a antenatal clinic and provides psychological assistance to women during pregnancy, childbirth ( Painless Birth Courses), after childbirth, during breastfeeding. In addition, this psychologist works with surrogate mothers, women who want to have an abortion, cannot get pregnant or bear a child, and other problems that are associated with the concept of "mother and child".
• neuropsychologist- studies mental processes from the point of view of the functioning of the brain. Basically, a neuropsychologist works with the cognitive functions of the brain, that is, cognitive processes, especially if they are underdeveloped. She mostly works with children. The neuropsychologist determines the readiness of the child for school, the correspondence of cognitive mental processes ( attention, memory, speech, etc.) age, reveals the reasons that disrupt the process of learning and behavior of the child.

The psychologist is engaged in the study of various objects that relate to a person as a person and his role in society. The main goal of a psychologist is to study human behavior, to find out why a person behaves in a particular situation this way and not otherwise.

The psychologist deals with the following psychological problems:

• personality problems- any discomfort that a person is experiencing ( stress);
• interpersonal problems- violation of harmony and mutual understanding in relations with other people;
• drastic life changes- changing the status of a person in society;
• age crises - periods of a person's life during which the restructuring of the psyche takes place;
• psychosomatic disorders - type of psychological disorders that manifest themselves in the biological ( bodily) level, develop both in adults and in children;
• learning and work problems violation of such mental processes as the focus of attention, perception ( information), thinking, memory.

All these problems are interconnected and go one into another. So, for example, psychotrauma can disrupt harmony in relationships, a violation of harmony in relationships can lead to “personal” stress and disrupt performance. Psychosomatic disorders are one of the manifestations age crises, and age crises, in turn, can arise as a result of disharmonious relationships. That is why psychologists differ from each other not only in the “problems” they deal with, but also in the principle of applying psychology to a certain area of ​​​​life and taking into account age.

Personality problems and "personal" problems

The psychologist considers a person as an individual with his needs ( Who am I?) or as a social object that performs a specific function ( What am I doing?). Personality is a person from the point of view of society ( I am part of society). An individual is a person with his individual psychological characteristics and self-consciousness ( I'm not like others). The individual's problems are "personal" tasks, the overcoming of which leads to personal growth. Personality problems or personal problems are problems of social integration and adaptation ( personal growth).

The personal growth of a person is not always visible to others, as it is associated with the internal struggle of a person. However, personal growth ultimately leads to personal growth—accomplishments that other people can see. That is why these concepts are often combined.

Mental personality traits include:

• orientation- motivation, desires, interests, aspiration, inclinations, worldview, beliefs;
• temperament- congenital type of response of higher nervous activity;
• character- a "collection" of personality traits that determine a person's attitude to himself, to people around him, to the world, to work ( are acquired personality traits, as opposed to temperament);
• capabilities- individual inclinations of a person to a certain type of activity ( makings).

If any character trait is more pronounced than the others ( pointed), then such a state is designated as character accentuation. A personality with an accentuation of character is called accentuated. This condition is not considered a pathology, but is an extreme degree of the norm.

Freud proposed a scientific version of the concept of personality.

According to Freud's concept of personality, there are:

• Id or "It"- the unconscious, which includes instincts and desires that require immediate satisfaction ( no control);
• Ego or "I"- consciousness of a person or his mind ( reason), while the "I" controls the desires of the "It".
• Super-ego or "super-I"- superconsciousness, which includes spiritual values, religious feelings or conscience, morality, while the "super-I" controls the "I".

Freud believed that psychological conflict arises from the constant struggle of these three components, in other words, when desires and opportunities to satisfy them do not coincide ( permissions).

Communication and relationships

Communication is one of the human needs. On the other hand, communication can become a source of stress and cause mental disorders. A person who knows how to communicate correctly can create relationships. At the same time, the ability to communicate and build relationships is the same skill as other human abilities. The psychologist in this case is like a programmer who adapts two devices to work together - synchronizes, helping people change the settings of their psyche.

"Extreme" stress

Stress strengthens the mind, just like regular exercise strengthens the body. However, if the stress is "excessive", the psyche can "break", which is why the term "psychotrauma" is also used in psychology.

Each person has his own threshold of stress, which he can withstand while maintaining performance. This is called stress tolerance. The level of stress resistance is an individual parameter ( by analogy with physical activity it's like different weight classes), that is, one person overcomes this situation “easily” ( it's not stressful for him), and the other cannot "transfer" this. At the same time, psychotrauma occurs to one degree or another in all people who have experienced extreme situations - whether these are more or less common stressful situations for all people that threaten the life and health of the person himself or his loved ones. At the same time, the negative consequences in people who have experienced extreme situations are also different in severity.

Age crises

The age crisis is a period characteristic of each period of life, which is necessary for the transition to a new level of functioning of the psyche. This is a kind of upgrade or improvement of the "computer" system of the psyche. An age crisis, unlike a personal crisis, occurs for everyone. You can either get out of the age crisis “in plus”, that is, with a new skill, or be left with a gap that will immediately or a little later affect a person’s behavior.

In psychology, the following age crises are distinguished:

• Crisis of the first year of life 1 month - 1 year) - the child receives almost all information through feeding ( pleasant emotions while eating), which is why Freud calls this stage oral.
• Three year old crisis 2.5 - 4 years) - the child learns to control his urge to urinate or empty his bowels, therefore this stage is called anal. The main motto of the child during this period is “I myself”, therefore aggression, negativism, stubbornness, and protest often occur.
• Crisis of the age of seven 4 – 6 years) - this period is necessary for the child to realize his belonging to a certain gender ( phallic stage) and for the formation of adequate self-esteem ( balance between initiative and recognition of parental authority).
• crisis of adolescence 12 – 18 years old) - the transition from childhood to adulthood is the most difficult, and therefore is considered the most critical. In humans, the main desires are to get rid of parental care and integrate into the “pack” ( peer group).
• Middle age crisis ( 30 - 32 years old) - reassessment of life, the correctness of the choice made ( crisis of the "meaning of life"). During this period, a person must solve the problems of self-expression, accept himself and realize his professional potential ( What have I achieved so far and what haven't I achieved yet?).
• pre-retirement crisis about 55 years old) - the main interests are health and universal values ​​( justice). The person begins to wonder what he will do after the transition to retirement.

Psychosomatic disorders

Psychosomatic disorders are physical manifestations of stress, when psychotrauma disrupts the mechanisms of regulation of internal organs and a "failure" occurs. Psychosomatics ( soma - body, psycho - soul) today is one of the sections of clinical ( medical) psychology.

According to psychosomatic psychology, any physical illness arises due to an unresolved mental problem, while for each illness there is a “own” problem ( it is in a sense an "escape to the disease" from problems, often unconscious). There are even special tables of psychosomatic disorders. Many expressions used in everyday life reflect the connection of spiritual experiences with the body, for example, “I don’t digest it”, “put it in my pants from fear”, “I feel it with my liver” and so on.

Problems of learning and performance

To learn and work with information, the brain uses its "higher functions" or cognitive mental processes. These include perception sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch), thinking ( analysis of incoming information) and memory ( saving in the "database" of the brain). All this also requires the ability to keep attention on the object. It is important that the psychologist deals with these problems in people who are clinically ( medically) have no reason to violate these functions.

How is a psychologist appointment?

Seeing a psychologist is different from seeing a doctor. The psychologist never asks the question “what are you complaining about?”. Consultation with a psychologist takes the form of a conversation. If a psychologist practices psychoanalysis, then there is usually a couch or sofa in the office. However, most often the client ( so called a person who turned to a psychologist) and the psychologist sit next to or opposite each other. The interest that the psychologist shows comes in the form of an offer to tell about something in more detail ( do you want to talk about it?). If a person does not want to talk about something, then the psychologist does not force them. At the same time, the psychologist is always willing to listen. A consultation with a psychologist is carried out both in order to identify the cause of the problem, and in order to solve this problem.

A conversation with a psychologist consists of the following steps:

• acquaintance- the stage of establishing emotional contact, the psychologist listens and empathizes;
• clarification of the reason for the appeal- the psychologist finds out what exactly the problem is, how the client sees it;
• clarification of the client's goal– joint preparation of a plan to overcome a stressful situation;
• Search alternative options - a psychologist can offer various methods for solving psychological problems;
• mood for active action active psychological support) - the psychologist gives confident arguments that set the person up to take action to solve the problem.

The psychologist receives information not only from the words of the client, but also non-verbal ( without words) ways.

The psychologist draws attention to the following non-verbal "signals" of the psyche:

• visual contact- contact may temporarily stop if a person speaks on a sensitive topic ( this does not mean that the psychologist must constantly maintain eye contact);
• language of the body- gestures and a change in the posture of the body or its individual parts during a conversation indicate an internal conflict or intentions;
• intonation, rate of speech- indicate the emotional state of the client.

How do psychologists behave at the reception?

What problems do you see a psychologist with?

The problems that a psychologist deals with are called psychological. A psychological problem is an unhealthy psychological state, in other words, it is a discomfort or an unhappy state. The state of happiness or comfort is the natural state of the human psyche. Such a psyche easily overcomes the difficulties that arise and solves the tasks assigned to it.

The psychological health of a person includes:

• positive attitude towards my own friend);
• positive attitude towards the world the world is my friend);
• ability to introspection;
• critical self-assessment ( conscience);
• self acceptance ( lack of self-flagellation);
• responsibility for decisions taken;
• adequate self-esteem self-esteem);
• striving to improve yourself and your skills ( improving the "version" of oneself);
• passage of age-related crises without negative consequences ( education);
• the ability to set goals and achieve them;
• the ability to create and maintain relationships with people;
• ability to adapt to changing external circumstances acquiring new skills);

A mentally healthy person manages all these processes, he learns this throughout his life, overcoming stressful situations.

A common cause of psychological problems is psycho-emotional stress - emotional reactions and thoughts with a negative connotation, which the psyche perceives as a “beware of danger” signal. But stress itself is not synonymous with psychological disorders. In fact, stress is a "friend" of the psyche, since a stress reaction occurs with one single purpose - to respond to an irritant ( stress factor) and adapt ( learn to deal with it).

All stressful situations can be grouped into the following groups:

• problem- a discrepancy between what is desired or necessary and what is in this moment (goals and realities);
• conflict- this is a discrepancy between the interests of two or more people or different components of the human personality ( "it, "I", "super-I");
• a crisis- the transitional period that is necessary to acquire a new skill.

A psychologist helps a person go through these situations with the greatest benefit for himself, overcome psychological discomfort - a feeling that a person experiences if his psyche is unwilling or unable to change his habits in order to get what he wants ( goal, harmonious relationships, new skills).

Problems that should be addressed to a psychologist

What kind of research does a psychologist do?

Research conducted by a psychologist is called psychodiagnostic. For diagnostics state of mind the psychologist uses tests, questionnaires or techniques that involve the performance of any tasks. The psychologist identifies with the help of tests either the causes of psychological disorders, or the tendency to these disorders. There are no universal tests, so psychologists use several tests and methods at once. The psychologist does not reveal psychosomatic disorders. Whether the physical symptoms are serious medical conditions or not is up to the doctor to decide. The psychologist reveals the psychological factor triggering the disease.

Tests conducted by a psychologist

What methods does a psychologist treat?

Psychological assistance provided by a psychologist is to give a person objective information about the state of his psyche, about the causes of his problems, and also to have a psychological impact in order to restore spiritual harmony and increase the ability to endure stress. A psychological impact is any effect that affects the psyche - any external or internal factor changing mental processes. The psychological impact that a psychologist has has the goal of a beneficial effect on the psyche.

Psychological assistance is of the following three types:

• psychological counseling - aimed at changing thinking and forming a new position, worldview, values ​​( obtaining new information and training);
• psychocorrection- changing the parameters of the psyche by developing new skills ( training, education);
• psychotherapy- a more thorough and deep psycho-correction aimed at restoring psychological health in general.

It is believed that a psychotherapist is engaged in psychotherapy, and a psychologist is engaged in psychocorrection ( even if the same method is used).

Usually, different methods include both psychological counseling and psychocorrection at the same time, while trainings are created, the name of which corresponds to the goal. For example, “How to find your place in life?”, “How to succeed?”, “How to achieve personal growth?”, “How to give birth without pain?”, “How to learn to communicate?” and so on. Most of the methods can be carried out both in the form of individual and group sessions.

It is important to note that a psychologist can and should provide psychological assistance to people who have severe mental disorders, but only in conjunction with a psychiatrist who will provide medical care ( prescribe medications, monitor the general condition). The same applies to psychosomatic disorders, the severity of which the psychologist cannot determine. Diseases are treated by a doctor, and a psychologist helps to eliminate psychological reasons illness. Nevertheless, for some disorders, doctors refer a person to a psychologist, since the prescribed treatment brings only temporary relief or the doctor does not find any objective reasons for the symptoms ( such disorders are called functional).

Methods of psychocorrection

There is probably a sofa in his office, but a rare client is lying on it. The session is not about finding meaning in an inkblot or playing with associations. Clients come with certain requests and, together with a specialist, sort them out. No romance with clients, it's unethical! As well as discussing other people's problems.

2. Don't confuse him with a psychiatrist

A person can work as a psychologist after continuing education courses, and psychiatrists study at a medical university. Courses are different, and specialists after them, too.

3. There is no admission plan

Unlike a lesson, during a visit to a psychologist there is no clear structure of what will be done with the client. It all depends on the initial request and the techniques that the client responds best to.

4. Trust takes time to build

At the first appointments, the psychologist asks a lot of questions, but the client is not obliged to immediately lay out all the ins and outs. No one will rush! When people begin to share more details and experience stronger emotions, then trust is born.

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5. People communicate a lot without words.

Sometimes a person says one thing, and his body language - posture, gestures, facial expressions - testify to another. That is why they try to invite both participants to analyze family situations.

6. Sometimes it seems that the psychologist is unable to help.

A psychologist does not have a magic wand to remove all problems in one fell swoop. He will listen, offer strategies of behavior, discuss the situation, but the main work is still done by the client.

7. The client base does not appear instantly

If a psychologist is in private practice and not a social media superstar, it takes years to develop a client base. He can take people from colleagues, promote himself on the Internet and about word of mouth, but you don’t have to wait in line for those who want to.

8. Don't "psychologize" your family

The job of a psychologist is to balance work and personal life. If his spouse, children, parents do not want psychotherapy at home, do not impose on them.

9. No one admits that he is a psychologist

Otherwise, every first one starts talking about their problems, wanting to consult for free. An experienced psychologist either does not give himself away, or gives out his business card with a phone to make an appointment.

Question to a psychologist

Hello. I am 31 years old. I work in the police. After 10 years of service, a departmental psychologist revealed schizoid accentuation (psychopathy) in me. Tell me if a psychologist has the right to make such a diagnosis or should he send me to the CPD to a psychiatrist, do I need observation in hospital, what threatens me if the diagnosis is confirmed? Thank you in advance!

Hello Sergey! The diagnosis can only be made by a doctor (psychiatrist, clinical psychologist). Accentuation of character is not a disease, but a change in character. Observation in the hospital is not necessary if there is no evidence from a neurologist. You can contact a psychologist you trust, take a course of work with the problem.

Sincerely, Larisa

Hello Sergey! Accentuation is not psychopathy!!! and especially not a diagnosis! And you don't have to look anywhere! this is just a variation of the personality quality above the average norm and it says that you are just a more closed person in communication, and fewer contacts are enough for you, it can also go along with an introverted personality, it also indicates your internal self-sufficiency (i.e. you don’t need a big company to meet your needs) and many people can have such an accentuation, and on the contrary, it helps many people - they are more thoughtful, less prone to emotional outbursts, their inner world is saturated and sufficient, rationality guides them more in decision making and logic!

Sergey, is there something that worries you besides the name? How are you feeling? How are relationships in the family, in the team? What's the question? Diagnoses (such as "you have gastritis"), it is desirable to "check" with a couple of doctors. Everyone can be wrong. And here, according to the test ... Read Leonhard's classification. Here is the quote" Schizoid accentuation is characterizedisolationindividual, his isolation from other people. Schizoid people lackintuitionand the ability to empathize. They have a hard time making emotional connections. They have stable and permanent interests. Very few words. Inner world almost always closed to others and filled with hobbies andfantasiesthat are meant only for the enjoyment of oneself. May occasionally show a tendency to drink alcohol, which is never accompanied by a sensationeuphoria". Is there something about you, who, if not you, know more about yourself?

Sergey, good afternoon! Schizoid accentuation is a vivid expression of some traits in your character. And despite the frightening name - this is not a disease! Those. there is some tendency to psychopathy, but it is not psychopathy itself, which is already a disease. The psychologist probably simply failed to convey this clearly to you, or you did not understand him. You don't need to see a doctor for this. Most likely, your profession, due to its peculiarity, has led to some deformations over 10 years. And no wonder - your profession with increased "harmfulness" for psychological health. Now just calm down, talk to a psychologist (of your choice, not necessarily a departmental one) on how to help your loved one become more balanced. This will be useful for physical health and for your peace of mind, and will come in handy for further work. The psychologist will correct some points and teach you how to maintain maximum stability and harmony in conditions of constant stress.

Hello Sergey! Accentuation is not a diagnosis, but an increased influence of this factor in your character - this is not a pathology, and besides, a psychologist does not make diagnoses at all - only a psychiatrist has the right to do this. How do you feel yourself? are you comfortable? Do you feel satisfaction with life - does your isolation and excessive isolation from other people interfere with you? That is, in itself, this does not threaten you with anything, it’s just possible that after 10 years of work in the police, your character has transformed and increased closeness has appeared so as not to show your emotionality, since it can interfere with your work. These are the questions you should be thinking about. And it is possible to turn to a psychologist, so that he would help you better understand yourself and your attitudes and emotions. Best regards, Maria