From the author: publication by the author on A very exciting question, including for me: how to choose a psychotherapist for yourself? Why does this question bother me so much that I come back to it again? Because, unfortunately, more and more often clients come to me who have experience working with “psychological experts” and I know from my own experience what severe trauma such experience sometimes leads to for them. Currently, the work of a psychologist is not regulated, and controlled by no official organization at all. In order to engage in consulting, a license is not required, that is, no one checks the qualifications of a specialist practicing and selling his services. This means that when turning to a specialist who declares himself to be a psychologist, you are not immune even from the fact that this specialist has the appropriate education. Most ordinary people do not even understand the difference between a psychologist, a consulting psychologist, and a psychotherapist. It is not even anarchy that is thriving in the services market, but some kind of revelry. And sometimes a good outcome is if you get an appointment with a person who has at least some psychological education. Although this is scary, since only an amateur can be worse than an outright charlatan. In our city, psychological education is fashionable; it seems that all universities graduate psychologists, including construction. J And such “specialists,” who, God willing, have mastered the basics of “general psychology,” offer their services and boldly begin to consult, correct, and advise. Moreover, even in such a reputable educational institution as a university, there are three specializations in the psychology department. “General psychology” is a good specialty for those who will be engaged in psychology as a science, studying the processes of perception or thinking, dealing with problems of the development of intelligence or the mechanisms of emotional reactions. However, as part of the training, this specialization does not teach methods, methods, techniques for working with clients. Even the methods of psychological diagnostics used in consulting activities do not pass. Just as they do not pass them in the “Organizational Psychology” specialization. People who have such training are perhaps good specialists in their field, but they should not be allowed anywhere near counseling. Working with such a specialist is similar, for example, to studying mathematics under the guidance of a biology teacher. But they work!! I’m not even talking about those who received their education through “underground” methods – in other words, by reading psychological literature, or by studying under the guidance of a “teacher.” It’s somehow frivolous to talk about such people. A higher education in this field of activity is required! Therefore, do not hesitate to ask to see your diploma and make sure that this specialist has a specialization in Consulting. If he doesn’t have the entry “consulting” or “consulting psychologist” in his diploma, then this is a general specialist and working with him is dangerous! And the fact that he offers his services without the appropriate qualifications just means that he has no idea about the field of activity in which he intends to work. It’s even better if the specialist you contacted has not only higher education, which is considered simply basic, but also additional in some, or better yet, in several psychological areas. In this case, he has a certificate or certificate that he is a Gestalt therapist, or a psychoanalyst, or a specialist in psycho- or symbol drama, and so on. Such diplomas, certificates or certificates are issued by specialized institutes or foreign associations and indicate a sufficiently high level of specialist. In this case, such a specialist can call himself a psychotherapist, in the concept accepted in foreign practice - a specialist who has the right to carry out long-term psychological work, and not just give one-time consultations. In addition, the specialization of this psychotherapist will allow you to decide,how suitable it is for solving your problem, because different psychological directions cope with different tasks in different ways. On the same Internet, you can always find information about what methods specialists in this or that field use, what they are aimed at, and what problems they can solve best. I will give only brief characteristics of the main directions: 1. Analytical approaches in psychotherapy, the main of which are: psychoanalysis, Jungian psychotherapy, individual psychotherapy according to the Adlerian method, object relations therapy - are indicated for solving most problems and conditions, including marital problems, psychosomatic disorders, neuroses and even character disorders and psychoses, but require the patient is ready for fairly long work and in-depth study and analysis. As a result, most studies show that such therapy is indicated for educated people with sufficient intellectual reserve, capable of introspection and self-awareness. However, this approach is actually the only one that makes it possible to radically study the problem and in-depth personality correction.2. Behavioral therapy is generally warranted for the following syndromes: neuroses, non-anxiety maladaptive learned habits (eg, nail biting, enuresis), psychopathic personality disorder, drug addiction, and learned behavior in schizophrenic patients. 3. Gestalt therapy is used to treat a wide range of problems, but since awareness is the most important prerequisite for the success of therapy, it has the same limitations as analytical methods.4. Client-centered therapy is suitable for treating many disorders as well as addictions. However, this method makes very strict demands on the personality of the therapist himself, so its effectiveness directly depends on the well-being and sophistication of the specialist. Also, the method is not suitable for people with pronounced social fears and problems.5. Existential psychotherapy is indicated for solving problems associated with the ultimate givens of existence: death, freedom, isolation and meaninglessness. In addition, existential approaches can also be used to solve problems related to freedom, responsibility, love and creativity. A separate conversation about specialists who have a basic education not in psychology, but in medicine. Usually this is a basic education in the specialty “Psychiatry”, after which it is also possible to receive education in psychological areas and work as a psychotherapist. I personally treat such specialists with great caution, because it seems to me that the medical attitude towards dividing all people into sick and healthy, normal and abnormal, eats into them so deeply that it is difficult for them to then build therapeutic partnerships and they tend to accept assume the role of a “smart adviser”, an all-powerful teacher who is not inside, but above the situation. However, this attitude cannot be applied to all such specialists without exception, and I myself personally know excellent psychotherapists with basic medical education. Also, I believe, there is no need to be particularly in awe of scientific titles, since in Russia there is not a single academic council where specialists with research in the field of psychological counseling defend themselves, and in-depth knowledge in specialized psychological fields is of little help in the practical activities of a psychologist. (The only exception is research in the field of “Developmental Psychology”) In principle, you can take an interest in the topic of scientific research and draw the appropriate conclusions yourself. So, the first thing you need to pay attention to is the education of the specialist. The second thing I would strongly advise you to pay attention to is the prices. A good specialist, of course, has the minimum for which he will work. Usually this minimum depends heavily on the rental price for!!!