Get the Most out of Psychologist Visits With These Helpful Ideas
When you feel like you can’t handle your problems alone and decide to get help, the most important thing is to know what your rights are and how to get the most out of your visit to the professional you’ve chosen, whether you go once or several times.
That’s why we want to give you these you these ideas. We’re hoping they’ll help you take full advantage of your time with your psychologist.
“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes.”<
-William James-
Get comfortable in order for there to be trust
One of the most important things is that you feel comfortable so that you can take full advantage of the time and talk about everything that’s on your mind.
Open up to them and let go of some control over the conversation. The professional in front of you won’t be judgmental.
Also, psychologists are subject to professional confidentiality, so nothing you tell them there will leave the room.
Don’t be afraid to discuss difficult or embarrassing topics. Their job isn’t to accuse you or jump on top of your burden to make it heavier.
Our best-developed sense as psychologists is our hearing. We’re here to listen to you.
We have the tools to help you find the answers to your problems and worries. We’re not here to start a fight.
Most of us are very open people. And, we have the experience to know that people are very different, even if they’re going through similar situations.
But, above all, we’re professionals. We’re able to leave our own lives, experiences, and ideas out of the discussion. We focus on what you’re telling us.
If you don’t feel listened to, or don’t feel your psychologist is being unbiased… If you feel they’re giving you only one solution to every problem, and this doesn’t make you feel comfortable, you’re completely within your rights to go to a different professional.
Give therapy another chance. Don’t think we’re all the same, because the truth is we’re not all like that.
You are mind and body
Promise yourself to tell them even the most (seemingly) unrelated or unimportant things. They could end up being useful.
It’s true that psychologists aren’t doctors. But remember that you are both mind and body, one interconnected unit. If you’re not well mentally, your body will be affected, and vice versa.
Tell them if you have problems sleeping, lack of appetite, headaches, etc. Also if something strange is going on with you that day. Seriously, you can tell them whatever!
“Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways.”
-Sigmund Freud-
Don’t hide or keep any information from them. The psychologist can’t read your mind. Use the space and confidentiality to your benefit. That’s what they’re there for.
It may be a bit hard for you at the beginning because it’s not a habit yet. But, it’s important for you to know that you’re in control of what you say and how far you go.
If you tell half-truths or don’t tell the full story, they won’t be able to give you the same quality of help.
Physical symptoms or difficulties might be what gets you to therapy. But, you can also go because you want to get to know yourself better.
If that’s the case, go as deep as possible. All the way to the deepest darkest parts of you. It will help you handle anything life puts in your path.
You don’t have to have a serious problem, you might want to know why you always choose people that are wrong for you, or why some things are hard for you, etc. All that stuff about needing to be crazy to go to a psychologist, it’s just a myth!
Talk to the psychologist about your feelings and ask them as many questions as you want
Talk to the psychologist about your feelings. If you didn’t like something they said to you, tell them that! It’s important for you not to hold it in, because it will distort the relationship.
Misunderstandings do happen in therapy. Sometimes the psychologist will say one thing and we’ll understand it as something else. The important thing is to talk to them and not keep it in.
If there’s something you don’t understand, ask as many questions as you need to. Don’t be frustrated because you’re embarrassed or angry.
Psychologists can also make mistakes. Therapy, and especially the most important parts of it, tend to be intense for the patient or client. But, it also tends to be intense for us, the psychologists.
This intensity might cause errors. But, they’re still solvable if we keep communication open and sincere.
It’s unusual for psychologists to use medical or psychological language. Or for them to express themselves with overly complex grammar.
Normally we talk in such a way that the person in front of us can understand us, regardless of how much they know about the human mind.
Still, if you don’t understand us, we’ll be happy when you tell us that openly. Because then we’ll have the opportunity to adjust our words.
The psychologist is there to listen
Be patient. You’re the one who sets the pace, the changes will come at your rhythm. But, remember that “Rome wasn’t build in a day.”
We live in a society where everything happens really fast. And, when we have any discomfort, we want it to end immediately. We generally don’t have much patience or tolerance.
In my experience, therapy works, much more than medication (and without side effects), but you have to give it time.
The psychologist is there to listen to you. That’s hard to find with family members and friends. If you don’t think that’s true, give it a try.
Try to talk for 5 minutes about a problem, and you’ll see how most people (without meaning to hurt you), will start to tell you how to solve the problem.
They’ll tell you the story about someone else who had a similar issue, or about their own experience. Some people won’t even be able to handle it and will cut you off to direct the conversation towards their own problems.
Don’t judge them…if the roles were reversed you’d probably do the same. We’re not used to listening.
The psychologist will listen to you. But they won’t give you advice or solve your problems. Only you have the answers and know the solutions to your problems.
What happens is that this self-analysis you’re repeating over and over isn’t objective and doesn’t usually work. In a lot of cases telling our problems to friends or family doesn’t either. That’s why you have to go to a professional.
“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.”
– Carl Rogers-
If you’re curious, try one visit. Don’t commit yourself to anything. Maybe, it will be just what you were looking for.