It would seem that there is nothing simpler than taking money for conversations. Is there anything difficult about this? Definitely, there is. I have collected the main points of what you pay your psychologist for. Only your hour. Your time The first and main thing you pay a psychologist for is time. By paying for an hour of session, you can be sure that it will be dedicated only to you. And how you spend it also depends on you: you will be late, you will not come, you will cry, be silent or be indignant throughout the session. This is your time, it's for you. Hence the rule of paying for a missed session. Since you buy the therapist's time, you decide how to manage it yourself. And rest assured that the psychologist will be waiting for you at the appointed time. Immersion in your story The psychologist is completely immersed in your story. He will stay with you under any circumstances. The difference here with friends and family is that this is not a two-way conversation. The specialist will not tell you about his life and give you advice. He will only be passionate about your situation. He won’t drink coffee, answer messages, or think about his own mental or physical states. Every minute he will think about how to react to your words and actions: remain silent, express sympathy, or enter into confrontation. Observing and analyzing the situation requires large emotional and energy investments. Absence of criticism By sharing your deepest secrets with your psychologist, be sure that you will not be judged or rejected. A competent specialist does not evaluate your behavior and decisions. Even if he does not accept your point of view, he will accept you and understand everything you say. You don't have to like your psychologist for him to be attentive to you. To expand their inner container and resilience, psychologists spend a lot of time, money and effort attending supervision, personal therapy and ongoing training. Responsibility A paid hour of therapy is more difficult to sabotage. By paying for your therapy, you are taking a responsible action towards yourself and another person, subsequently transferring this experience to other areas of life. The paid hour also serves to establish a certain optimal distance between you and the psychologist. Payment encourages collaboration and is one of the keys to successful therapy. At the same time, the cost of therapy should not be too high for you. Otherwise, you will unconsciously expect the specialist to get you to the result faster. If the price is too low, the value of the paid time may not be felt, and, therefore, there will be no energy for changes in life. The important thing here is the balance between what you gave and what you received in return..