Choosing a psychologist is actually the start of therapy. Since you make the choice based on your personal preferences, it comes from your personal experience. This micro-process reflects your attitude towards people, the world, life, etc.

During therapy, you will learn to see, hear, and understand yourself. Therefore, from the very beginning, trust yourself and listen to your reactions. Good signs when working with a psychologist should include the following:

1. The psychologist is always open to new ideas, never insists on their own point of view, has undergone personal therapy before your meeting, and therefore sees your "inner reality" rather than imposing their own or explaining everything by the presence of resistances and defense mechanisms.

Recommendation: when choosing a psychologist, pay attention to how many hours of personal therapy they have undergone; this information should be publicly available.

Also read: Psychologist online, what is it?

2. The psychologist always acknowledges their limitations (does not pretend to know what they do not), directly answers questions (and does not switch you to other topics), provides feedback (spontaneously or in response to your questions, without evaluating you, but in the "I-message" format, speaking about their thoughts, feelings, sensations), and acknowledges that they have the right to make mistakes (instead of justifying their behavior).

Recommendation: You should feel comfortable with the psychologist, even if you are working through internal conflicts, contradictions, beliefs, life programs, etc. It should all be trusting, ecological, timely, and for your benefit.

3. The psychologist is interested in the people around you (family, friends, colleagues, and other significant people for you) because therapy from the first minute initiates the process of your personal transformation, which is impossible without the transformation of your environment.

Recommendation: remember that in the process of therapy you are learning self-help, belief in your own strengths, and hope, which will allow you to handle any issues on your own in the future and be your own psychologist.

iPsycholog - Your online psychologist.