Who is a psychologist and what does he do: when to seek help

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Many people think that becoming a psychologist is easy: just read a few thematic books, convince a friend that relationships with a young man are detrimental to her - and you can consider yourself practically a professional. Others do not even know who a psychologist is and what he does.

Among the popular opinions: only mentally unhe althy people go to psychologists. Even in the 21st century, the fear of these specialists remains an urgent problem. Someone is happy to sign up for an appointment in the hope that the psychologist will do something in one session and under the influence of a magic wand all difficulties will disappear. The article will help you figure out how things really are.

About psychology

Psychology is the science of behavior and psychological processes. A psychologist is a specialist in the field of consciousness and subconsciousness, who is engaged in their scientific study. His tasks:

• help explore the situation on an emotional level;
• recognize ineffective patterns of own behavior;
• get to know your current needs;
• leave the vicious circle of repeated mistakes;
• and start changing your life.

Activities of psychologists

Who is a psychologist and what does he do? The first thing that comes to mind is private practice. But in our country, private practice is a rarity for such specialists. As a rule, only popular professionals who already have a stable number of clients and new people are making an appointment can afford it.

Unknown specialists (mostly graduates) have little chance of opening their own office without the risk of working at a loss. Therefore, most psychologists combine private practice with the main place of work. Most often this is the sphere of education: schools, institutes, educational centers, kindergartens.

Basically, their duties include psychodiagnostics. Using special methods, they determine the personal characteristics and abilities of pupils and students and, based on a psychological portrait, create an individual approach to learning. As well as developing and corrective work - what a psychologist should do. These specialists help children cope with certain difficulties and develop the necessary qualities and skills.

An integral part of his duties is the work with documents. At least a third of their working time is made up of reports, psychological characteristics, processingdiagnostic data and so on.

In addition, psychologists are in demand in the personnel departments of organizations (HR departments or personnel services). The position of an HR manager requires selection of employees based on assessing the qualities of candidates, conducting training sessions and programs, and helping new employees to adapt to the place of work. These and other tasks contribute to improving the efficiency of the enterprise.

Psychologists can also find themselves in politics, law enforcement, advertising and law. Some professionals prefer scientific and applied research.

When it's time to see a specialist

Many people are interested in a clinical psychologist - who is he, what does he do. Equally, one of the most common topics is when it makes sense to arrange a meeting with a psychologist.

All sorts of stressful situations (difficulties in relationships with loved ones, problems in school or at work, family quarrels, etc.) are frequent companions of long-term and pronounced negative experiences. It is often difficult for people to cope on their own with an anxious chronic condition and its consequences - low self-esteem, irritability, chronic fatigue, longing, insomnia, and so on.

In such cases, the help of a qualified psychologist is needed. As a rule, they are approached with such problems:

• difficulties in communication, including with the opposite sex (often this is what a psychologist does at school);
• depression;
• problems inrelationships;
• panic attacks;
• increased irritability and outbursts of anger;
• divorces and family crises;
• loneliness;
• apathy;
• loss of meaning in life;
• chronic self-dissatisfaction;
• physical ailments of a psychogenic nature: digestive problems, headaches and dizziness, insomnia, vegetovascular dystonia and so on;
• constant alarm;
• poor performance, severe fatigue, problems with attention and concentration;
• self-doubt;
• various fears.

Continuing your acquaintance with who a psychologist is and what he does, you should pay attention to 10 more signs that it's time for an appointment.

1. Feeling like a person is walking in circles.
2. A topic that cannot be discussed with anyone.
3. Avoiding parents or spending too much time with them.
4. Problems with food.
5. Lack of personal space.
6. Risk Behavior
7. Alcohol abuse.
8. Difficulty finding your place in life.
9. Workaholism.
10. Feeling bad.

Clinical psychologist

Clinical psychologist. Who is this, what is he doing? This is a specialist in medical and psychological problems who diagnoses and corrects various mental disorders.

Among the subjects of clinical psychology: methods of psychotherapy, destructive changes in the psyche, developmental disorders and so on. Existthe following branches: psychotherapy, psychocorrection, psychosomatics, neuropsychology and pathopsychology.

A psychologist can also be:

1. Childish.
2. Social.
3. Military.
4. Medical.
5. Educator-psychologist.

What does a child psychologist do

He is involved in supporting, guiding or correcting the child's stage of development, for example, helping to develop creatively and get rid of complexes. Consultations of such specialists are useful both for mentally he althy children and for those who have some problems. They help adults understand what is happening with their son or daughter, establish contact between them and overcome psychological difficulties.

The task of a specialist is to identify the causes of a particular problem and find solutions. A child psychologist understands the laws of the psyche of children, their developmental characteristics and age-related crises, as well as the significance of all kinds of activities at each stage of life.

Educator-psychologist

The education system is what an educational psychologist does. It's a practical all-rounder. His main areas of activity are counseling, psychodiagnostics, developing activities, psychocorrection and psychological education.

As a rule, such specialists work in schools and other educational institutions. Their task is to maintain mental he alth and personal development of pupils and students. They reveal the conditions that hinder the formation of personality and help not only students, but also parents.and teachers in solving problems (personal, professional and others).

Making children's lives more comfortable in terms of the psyche is what a kindergarten psychologist does. The educational psychologist helps the educator and parents/guardians to find and explain the reasons for the actions and failures of children. Among the areas of work, firstly, consultations and diagnostics. A separate type of diagnostics is a comprehensive assessment of a child's readiness for school. Equally, such specialists conduct correctional work, since children are different, and someone develops faster than others, while someone slows down and conducts developmental classes.

Social psychologist

No less interesting is the social psychologist. What does this specialist do and differ from other colleagues? This profession involves the study of the patterns of occurrence, functioning and manifestation of phenomena in groups and psychodiagnostics, sociometry, counseling.

The tasks of such specialists are as follows: psychological assistance to social groups and individuals, psychological support and support for socially vulnerable people, monitoring the comfort and safety of the living environment, work on psychological education of the population. As a rule, social psychologists work in psychological services, socially oriented organizations, educational and research institutions and psychological help centers.

What does a medical psychologist do?

He performs a variety of tasks. Someone works in clinicalsettings to help individuals or groups prevent disease or develop he althy habits. Other employees are engaged in research in a field that relates to he alth or participate in the formation of public he alth policy.

Psychologists work in clinics, hospitals, universities and private organizations. Some choose a specific specialization: gynecology, oncology, or smoking cessation programs. Others prefer government jobs.

Military psychologist

Studying the situations of everyday and official life of military personnel, the results of interviews, the behavior of soldiers and officers during times of stress, questioning and testing personnel - this is what a military psychologist does. All collected information is analyzed and the results are used to identify and find solutions to problems.

The psychologist is also engaged in the psychological selection of personnel. He equips the center of psychological relief. Among the job responsibilities, lectures and mini-trainings are highlighted. Such specialists report on the work done to their superiors.

The geography of the psychologist's action is the entire territory of the regiment. He reports to the Deputy Commander for Educational Work. There are no personal subordinates. Each specialist controls approximately 700-1000 people (and this is a big burden for any specialist). This usually affects performance: the quality of work with personnel and the amount of time for personal life and recreation are reduced.

Myths about psychologists

In addition to the fact that anyone who has read some smart papers can be a psychologist, and their clients are crazy individuals, there are several popular misconceptions about what a school psychologist (or anyone else) does:

1. Psychologist - psychiatrist. No. A psychiatrist is a specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. His tools are medicines and psychotherapy. It is he who works with people with mental disorders (by the way, this is not so scary). A psychologist is not a doctor and cannot prescribe medicines. He only consults he althy people and directs those who need it to a psychiatrist. There is also a psychotherapist - a doctor or psychologist who most often helps clients with non-pharmacological methods.
2. A psychologist can give advice that will immediately solve the problem - the next delusion. No one is capable of such work efficiency.
3. A psychologist can solve all problems. In fact, it is beyond his competence. He is nothing more than a helper in finding a way out.
4. These specialists have superpowers. You should beware of charlatans who claim this.
5. Psychologists are trouble-free kind people who are always ready to help any person. After all, consultants in the store are unlikely to walk around and prompt customers after the end of the working day.
6. Psychologist sees through people. This is an exaggeration. What these specialists can really do is to predict the likely actions of a certain person inspecific situation.
7. They don't have their own problems. Psychologists are people too and sometimes they cannot solve their own problems.

And some interesting facts

The human psyche is one of the biggest mysteries in the world. Despite the many studies that have revealed interesting facts about the psychological characteristics of a person, this is only a small part of them. Here are some of them:

1. Only about 10 minutes a person is able to maintain close attention on anything.
2. Brain activity during sleep corresponds to activity in the waking state.
3. A person can only remember 3-4 elements at a time.
4. The brightest memories are wrong.
5. Dreams take almost a third of the time.
6. A person cannot do several things at once.
7. It takes 66 days to form a habit.
8. A person changes their own memories.
9. The number of possible friends is limited (50-100).
10. Most decisions are subconscious.

In conclusion

Someone is still afraid of psychologists like fire, someone believes that this is not a profession at all, while others are happy to sign up for a new effective method. What topics did we discuss today?

Many people wonder who a psychologist is and what he does. A psychologist is a specialist in the field of psychology. He is engaged in the study of the psyche of humans and animals, helps in the study of all kinds of situations and problems, in understanding himself and hisneeds and conflict resolution. There are several types of this profession (for example, clinical psychologist, child psychologist, educational psychologist, social and military psychologist).