Today, in the times we live in, if we asked people if they think it's easy choose a good psychologist, surely the vast majority will say yes.
The feeling is that in the “information age” we have access to endless profiles of professionals and services in general to choose from. However, this nickname is changing with the other side of the coin, the 'era of disinformation' that, a priori, seems to have come to stay.
In fact, in times of pandemic (and in turbulent times in general) it is proven that huge amounts of 'fake news' circulate on the Internet, which end up causing more doubts than certainties.
The same thing happens when a person tells you that find the right therapist It's easy, there are thousands to choose from and all are just a click or a ring away. Something similar happens to when we go to a restaurant, isn't it infinitely more difficult to decide what to eat when the gastronomic offer is so wide that it overwhelms?
How easy it would be for us to narrow down that decision, or that search, going back to what concerns us. That is the objective of these lines, to serve as a tool to screen, filter and that the path to the search for the good therapist is considerably paved..
Have you ever played "Who's Who"? That game in which in the end only one character could be left standing, the rest were discarded as the opponent asked you questions. Well imagine your own board and, as you read this article, discard until only the best options remain.
There are different ways to find a therapist suitable to the needs of each person.
The two great alternatives are internet or word of mouth. Although the second option has advantages because they have recommended you to that psychologist and this gives you confidence: "if it has helped him, why won't he be able to help me?".
Namely, a good psychologist is also usually well positioned in networks, in such a way that these recommendations also exist in review format and you can also access objective information regarding the service offered.
Furthermore, in psychotherapy there are different models from which a psychologist can work. Some of them are empirically validated or, what is the same, it has been studied that the methodology they use is reliable.
However, others are not so. In addition, there is also a growing intrusion in this area of mental health, which is psychology, and there are those who offer therapy without having the necessary and adequate training to do so..
With all this and with the intention of clarifying and not confusing more those who read this article, then I will establish what premises are essential to choose the right psychologist for you and how to know if we have to continue choosing it throughout the treatment:
In this sense, it is necessary to know the difference between a therapist, a psychotherapist and a psychologist.
A therapist can work with the mind, with the body, with energy, etc. unlike psychotherapists and psychologists, who work with behaviors and emotions and thoughts.
That is, they have a psychological treatment perspective. What differentiates the two is the training.
A psychologist will necessarily have the psychology career, authorization for health practice and a collegiate number, while a psychotherapist may have studied another branch of mental health like medicine and have subsequently trained as a psychotherapist.
They both work on the same problems, but psychologists (with or without additional training in psychotherapy) are a sure bet when it comes to treating problems such as anxiety or depression, by using resources whose validity has been empirically tested and having a more extensive training in mental health.
It is not the same to go to a psychoanalyst as to a behavioral psychologist. The most common model that you will find offered will be the cognitive-behavioral model, which is positive because it has great support worldwide.
It is also interesting that the perspective of the psychologist or psychotherapist is integrative and that, far from adapting the patient to the techniques with which he feels most familiar, he adapts his way of intervening according to each case.
The idiosyncrasy of the person who comes to the consultation is important: some therapists affirm that “if you have already seen an addict you have seen them all”, and it is true that there are very similar patterns among those who suffer from this or other problems, but it is a reductionist view of recovery.
In case he does not have them, but you do have his contact, ask him everything you need to know before choosing him as a therapist: training, rates, methodology, etc..
Don't be shy, after all, your improvement is at stake. It is also essential that you know how to explain clearly how the sessions and the treatment in general will develop, always bearing in mind that there are factors that cannot and should not be controlled. And it is that each teacher has his booklet, but you have to read at least the prologue to know if you are interested in starting it and dedicating your time to reading it..
However, you should not be obsessed, as the training in clinical psychology and psychotherapy it generally provides a background that makes it possible to address any problem. Even so, if it makes you feel more confident, you can be interested in what specific difficulties it usually addresses or in which it has more experience.
Currently, the vast majority of therapists offer both services, especially as a result of the global pandemic derived from Covid-19.
In this case, you have to know the advantages and disadvantages of both modalities.
The advantages of online therapy are clear: it is cheaper and more accessible. However, there are people who feel more comfortable, (especially during the first sessions while the therapeutic bond is being forged), attending the consultation in person, despite having to travel.
This option is the most common and has the advantage of facilitate emotional expression and have a safe space to give an important place outside your home, without distractions.
Even so, it is important that you do it because you are motivated and not out of obligation and trust the professional in front of you.
It is said that it only takes a psychologist to change a light bulb, but… we start from the premise that the light bulb must want to change. When we go to the trauma doctor because we have hit ourselves hard, we almost blindly believe in the guidelines that he advises us.
However, it is much more difficult for us to make the decision to go to the psychologist due to emotional discomfort, because we think that “we can always a little more” and once we do (sometimes) we question their work.
It is good to ask about the doubts that may arise before, during and after the therapy process, but so is letting ourselves go and trust.
Not everything in psychotherapy is explicit and there are many internal mechanisms that are forged session after session, making us improve without realizing it or after a while. Don't be in a hurry, the results will come sooner rather than later.
Quantity does not equal quality, and in any case we must prioritize the latter and not get carried away by striking slogans, bright colors and pompous names that are pure marketing and little else..
It is dangerous to try strategies sold as miraculous. The reality is so different that, although it is hard to say, it implies a effort on the part of the patient to improve and you don't always see short-term results. Whoever tells you otherwise may look more into his pocket than to your progress.
Ask your therapist to explain to you what his vision of your problem is and how you are going to approach it to meet some objectives that are common to both, with which you agree and see it necessary to work.
At the end of the day, you must ask yourself where you want to go when you put yourself in someone else's hands and visualize that final scenario. Something that I always ask my patients at the end of the first session is the following: "what do you want to achieve?".
In fact, it is the therapist the one that must conform to the patient's profile and not the other way around, with an inclusive and flexible perspective that prioritizes improvement.
It will depend on the problem and the therapeutic route. In addition, during the sessions the diagnosis of dysfunctional patterns may arise that reveal the need to play other keys and it is important to know in advance that this possibility can be given and whether or not you are open to taking these alternatives.
As in life, our decisions cannot be based on absolute knowledge of the subject we are dealing with because it is immeasurable.
We must take into account these guidelines to narrow the path of find the right psychologist, knowing that the main key to success is that the patient comes to the consultation wanting to improve.
Most do it after several unsuccessful attempts, many times trying to achieve emotional well-being on their own, without resorting to professional help or after finding therapists who did not meet what they needed..
As the renowned American psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) said:
"I guess it's tempting to treat everything like a nail, if the only tool you have is a hammer."
Abraham Maslow
My advice: Make sure your final choice has the complete toolbox in its possession.
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