Couple Therapy: How to choose a good Psychologist, Coach or Psychotherapist
In this article I explain the criteria to choose a good Psychologist, Coach or Psychotherapist. Concepts such as the degree, intervention method, specialization, experience and values have to be very present in this choice
Criteria for choosing a Coach, Psychologist or Psychotherapist
Qualification: if this aspect is important to you, you will be interested in knowing if the person who is going to treat you is a qualified psychologist, certified coach, uncertified or unrecognized coach, psychotherapist with university training (for example, occupational therapist with training in Gestalt therapy), psychotherapist without university training, etc. What is the degree that offers you the most peace of mind and security?
Intervention method: if you search a little on the internet, you can read about the different lines of intervention and choose the one with which you most identify (cognitive-behavioral, humanistic, transpersonal, Gestalt, systemic, ontological ...)
Specialization: you are also interested in knowing if they have specialized (or not) in a specific population and situation (for example, in young women to choose a profession, or in adult men to increase and improve their social relationships, or in sales professionals to manage your anxiety when speaking in public, etc.) For me, this is one of the most important, along with the values. You need to know if the person who is going to treat you knows how to help you get what you want.
Experience: maybe you are looking for someone who has more years of experience compared to someone who has just entered the job market, but this factor may not be the most important factor for you.
Values: there are other more subtle aspects to know about the person to choose them, and they are their values. How does she see “life”, what does she understand by suffering, what happiness is for her, what is the most important thing for her in the therapeutic process (rigor, closeness, objectivity, spirituality, speed, simplicity, depth, objectives, feelings…) Some will be explicitly reflected on their website (if they have one) or they will mention them to you in an information session, but others you will have to “read between the lines”. What values would you like it to have? Which ones would you not mind if he did not have, and which ones could you not ignore that the coach / psychologist / therapist does or does not have?
Coaching and Psychology: inseparable from beginning to end.
“Psychological Coaching is a branch of Psychology that deals with the systematic application of behavioral science for the improvement of life experience, job performance and well-being of individuals, groups and organizations. It focuses on facilitating the achievement of objectives, on improving the personal and professional growth and development of clients in their personal life and in the workplace. It is not intended to directly treat clinically significant cases of mental illness or abnormal levels of distress. "
In short, Psychological Coaching is based on an integrative posture, which aims to apply the scientific bases and knowledge provided by Psychology, through Coaching as a technical communication tool, with the aim of facilitating the achievement of goals and achievements in the individual who benefits from this process.
