How to know if a psychologist is good?
Nowadays psychology has become so diversified that it can be difficult to choose between this class of professionals. However, if we have the possibility of know if a psychologist is good or not , this election will be simpler and much more beneficial for us.
Now ... on what criteria should we look to assess the quality of a psychologist or psychologist?
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Criteria to know if a psychologist is good
If you are thinking of going to a psychologist or if you are already in therapy and want to know if you have been successful with the chosen professional, you will be interested in knowing these 6 aspects to consider:
1. Training criteria
We start from an obvious minimum: the psychologist must be licensed (current degree) in Psychology . There are some professionals who promote themselves as therapists, counselors, etc., who do not have to have a career in psychology.
In addition, the complementary training is very important. The psychology degree offers a few subjects dedicated to the clinical field, but the rest are related to other specialties, so it is desirable that the therapist has a postgraduate training specialized in the clinical field (master or expert type) , that include practices in which to apply theoretical knowledge.
2. Legal criteria
The exercise of our profession has a compulsory licensing requirement (which may be visible on the professional's website, on his bill or in any other advertisement). In this case, it is only a legal issue that happens exclusively by paying an amount to the corresponding school without this implying greater experience or professionalism.
Have the title of clinical psychologist or generalist psychologist is also important . In Spain, the only legal formula to deal with patients is either to have gone through the PIR system (opposition that includes several years of clinical practice in rotation) that accredits you as a clinical psychologist, or to obtain the title of generalist health psychologist, who is currently achieved through a master.
As an exception, the professionals who already exercised before the regulation have been able to prove if they fulfilled professional experience, a postgraduate training and a professional activity in an approved center.
3. Years experience
Years of experience in the profession provide a plus to the therapist. Although this criterion is not always a guarantee of quality, it is true that the greater the experience, probably the higher the level of competence. As a reference, for any skill it is considered that excellence is achieved after 10 years of practice in a matter.
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4. Opinions and references
The vast majority of psychologists are registered on search engines such as Google Maps itself, where patients can put their opinions on us, which can be a guide to how we do our work. And of course, the direct testimony of another patient that has gone through his psychotherapy, is a tremendously valuable information, although there are always exceptions for individual differences and what works for one person does not serve another.
5. Internet search
If you are looking for an internet psychologist to go and put on Google "psychologists" followed by your city, what you should keep in mind are not those results that appear on the green advertisement sign. That advantageous positioning (the first ones that come out) is product of an economic investment in Google , but does not talk about the relevance of its content.
Although the operation of search robots on the Internet are tremendously complex, what makes a page appear (the psychologist's website, his blog, or his publications) if it is not paid in advance, is, among other things, that many people visit, and that can be a quality orientation .
Spend some time comparing several professionals visiting the information you find about them: your professional career, the type of therapy you do, how long you have been practicing, and if it fits your need. For example, if you have an anxiety problem, a sexologist psychologist may not be the most appropriate for your case, even if you fulfill the other requirements (experience, master, good opinions, etc.)
The criteria to consider in the therapy itself
Other aspects to consider and that are part of the sessions of psychotherapy in themselves are the following:
That the questions you ask have a therapeutic objective
The therapy is far from being a colloquial conversation with a friend , and therefore, a therapist should not ask a question out of mere curiosity, but because it is necessary to clarify some aspect of the person.
Questions about your profession, the why of a decision, questions of the people around you, give clues about the internal and relational dynamics that underlie your life. However, there are other unnecessary questions (for example: if you go to spinning class and you count it as a hobby, the fact that the therapist asks you which gym you go to, does not make any therapeutic sense).
The therapist talks about himself
To understand a problem or a solution to a patient, it is not necessary for the therapist to set an example. The protagonist should never be the therapist, but the patient .
It is true that there are some useful revelations, (for example: when you talk about this topic, I feel your aggression or your sadness) because they are a way of mirroring the patient to understand their emotions and what they can generate in others. But that revelation should not become an outlet for the professional.
For example, in a case of couple therapy that the professional reveals that he also has conflicts with his wife, or in an anxiety treatment that is set as an example of when he suffered and tells you his story.
Advice therapy
A therapist It should not tell you what to do but help you discover what is the best option for you. Counseling is a reflection of what one believes is best for another. The therapist can not know what is best for you according to him, but must discover with you what is best for you according to you.
- Related article: "Why psychologists do not give advice"
The therapist uses external information and takes it to session
Suppose that by chance your therapist knows someone in your environment and knows something about you that you have not told him about. Under no circumstances is authorized to disclose that information and share it with you.
When a patient consents to be analyzed in therapy, that relationship is allowed only within the walls of the consultation . Beyond that, the therapist stops being your therapist and does not have "permission" to analyze you. As much as they are in another context (in a class, or in the supermarket), they can not exercise as such or use the information they perceive from the street in therapy.
Contact out of therapy
Although with the passage of time the therapist-patient relationship may be closer or there may be more trust between them, the rule of neutrality It must always be respected. The only way for therapy to work is for the patient to have a therapist, not a friend. So to be left out of consultation crosses the line of cordiality to companionship that distorts the professional relationship.
