Is a psych degree useless

A forensic psychologist may have to assess whether a person charged with a crime is mentally competent to go to trial and be held accountable for their actions. They may determine the competence of witnesses, serve as expert witnesses themselves, or evaluate claims of criminal insanity.

Forensic psychologists also work in family courts where they investigate child abuse claims, conduct risk assessments for visitation, do child custody evaluations or work with and assess child witnesses. They can also get involved in jury selection and monitor jury behavior and body language to assist lawyers in trial preparation the coaching of witnesses.

They may be required to do criminal profiling of serial offenders for the police and advise on criminal sentencing. Forensic psychologists must generally have a doctorate, a certain amount of practical experience and may be required to sit an oral or written board exam.

Other Fields Of Psychology

Other fields of psychology include:

• School psychology which helps students succeed socially, emotionally, and academically in learning environments;
• Marriage and family psychology which assists married couples and families in working through clinical problems that involve interpersonal relationships;
• Health psychology which helps with pain management, weight management, the management of chronic disease and tobacco use;
• Clinical neuropsychology which looks at the influence of the central nervous system on human behavior;
• Sport psychology which helps athletes to reach peak performance and overcome psychological hurdles, and assists coaches and sports administrators in managing the team;
• Rehabilitation psychology which assists people to recover psychologically from physical or mental trauma and illness and address cognitive, emotional, and functional challenges caused by strokes, loss of limbs, traumatic brain or spinal cord injury, or other disabilities.

Associate Degree In Psychology

An associate degree in psychology is not worth that much on its own. It only takes two years and is usually offered by community colleges. It can prepare you for a bachelor’s degree in psychology at a state university and is regarded as a stepping stone to further studies in psychology.

However, it is not useless and can secure you a position working with and caring for people. You could get a job as a home care aide, a youth counselor, a research assistant, a social services assistant, a psychiatric nursing aide, a psychiatric technician, or a correctional officer. These are mainly supporting roles, but many people find them satisfying and fulfilling.

Social Services Assistant

A social services assistant helps social workers and psychologists. The job is mainly administrative and helps get clients the care they require. You would keep records, fill in forms, deal with bureaucratic issues, and gather information to ascertain if a person is eligible for a particular mental health or social service program.

The lowest-earning social services assistants get paid just under twenty-five thousand dollars a year, while the highest-paid can earn just over fifty-six thousand. If you aren’t academically inclined and love working with people, an associate degree in psychology will improve your chances of a position as a social services assistant.

Psychiatric Technician

You may also be eligible for a job as a psychiatric technician in many states, but a few, like Arkansas, California, Kansas, Missouri, and Colorado, require licensure. This means in addition to your accredited psychiatric technician associate degree, you have to write a state board exam in the states mentioned above.

A psychiatric technician takes care of people living in substance use centers, mental health facilities, facilities for the disabled, and hospitals. The job includes assisting patients with daily living activities such as eating, dressing, and bathing, making sure they take their medication and monitoring their vital signs. Annual earnings range from just less than twenty-two thousand dollars a year to around forty-nine thousand dollars a year.

Correctional Services Officer

Figures from the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics show that correctional officers earned an annual median wage of just under forty-seven and a half thousand dollars but the lowest ten percent earned slightly less than thirty-three thousand. The top ten percent earned above eighty-one thousand nine hundred and forty dollars a year.

Whether you are employed at a local, state, or federal corrections facility makes a difference. Federal correction officers earn the most while local correction officers earn the least.

Correction officers work in prisons and similar institutions. They are responsible for processing new arrivals, supervising prisoners, ensuring that inmates follow the rules and regulations, and maintaining safety and control.

Correctional officers must write reports, search for contraband, and aid in rehabilitating offenders. It can be difficult if you’re a sensitive person as you are exposed to all sorts of people, including murderers, rapists, gangsters, and robbers.

Police Officer

Another option is an entry-level position in the police force. This work entails patrolling the neighborhood, documenting incidents, responding to calls, and helping to resolve issues in the community. It probably offers the most possibilities for career advancement as you can work your way up to being a detective. Still, it may not be for everyone with an associate degree in psychology.

The lowest-paid police officers earn around forty-thousand dollars a year, while the highest is around one-hundred and thirteen thousand dollars.

Bachelor’s Degree In Psychology

A wide range of positions is open to a person with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, but the degree does not uniquely qualify you for any particular role. In other words, you will still need to acquire the specific skills necessary for your chosen occupation.

There is a long list of occupations that psychology majors can pursue. Positions that benefit from a psychology college degree include:

• Career or employment counselor
• Child welfare case worker
• Parole officer
• Computer programmer
• Life coach
• Public relations representative
• Real estate agent
• Preschool teacher
• Sales clerk
• Fund raiser
• Human resources manager
• Labor relations officer
• Sales representative
• Technical writer
• Employee relations specialist
• Substance abuse counselor
• Marketing

As you can imagine, many other people with bachelor’s degrees will be competing with you for these types of jobs. It helps improve your competitive edge if you have an idea of how you want to use your bachelor’s degree in psychology. For instance, you might want to do a double major – one in psychology and another in computer science, English, teaching, sociology, or criminal justice.

Many psychology majors go on to postgraduate studies in psychology. Fifty-seven percent enter the workforce, while the remaining eighteen percent pursue other degrees, not in the field of psychology. This clearly shows that a bachelor’s degree in psychology is far from a useless degree.

You could decide to do a BSc majoring in psychology rather than a BA if you want to enter a more STEM-oriented occupation, such as research, information systems, and technology or computer programming.

Do as much to distinguish yourself from your competition as you can by doing other subjects in your degree that others find hard or unpleasant such as statistics, applied mathematics, research design, or computer science.

You could also take your bachelor’s degree in psychology further by studying law. The degree qualifies you for admission to several law programs, and it obviously helps if you have studied some legal subjects in your bachelor’s degree. Law school usually takes another three years of study, but it can be two, depending on what subjects you’ve done in your undergraduate degree.

Master’s Degree In Psychology

At the master’s level, people start specializing in a specific type of psychology. For instance, experimental, clinical, sports, or industrial-organizational psychology. While there are jobs available to master’s graduates in these fields, they increasingly have to compete with doctoral graduates. In some cases, a doctorate is a legal prerequisite.

A master’s degree is undoubtedly worth it. It improves a graduate’s ability to compete for jobs in human resources, market research, management, healthcare agencies, law enforcement agencies, community colleges, schools, employee training, research, child and family service organizations, and group homes, among others.

Doctoral Degree In Psychology

A doctorate degree in psychology is a legal requirement in many states for employment or practicing in certain fields. In some states, board examinations are mandatory, even after obtaining a doctorate. It all depends on the nature of the field.

By the time you get to graduate school, you will be specializing in a particular area of psychology with a view to working in that field. Doing a doctorate equips you with the necessary expertise and skills. A doctoral degree in psychology is definitely not useless and is the highest academic qualification possible in many fields of psychology.

You can set up your own consulting practice, provided that you comply with the licensure requirements in your state, or be employed as a government researcher, forensic psychologist, sports psychologist, neuropsychologist, or in any other specialty you’ve studied.

This work is often well paid and opens up a world of career opportunities in business, government, and private practice. A doctorate in psychology can take a further four to six years of study after you have acquired a bachelor’s degree.

Conclusion

A psychology degree is certainly not useless, even at the lowest level. People who aren’t interested in being experts and just want to help others can get a job with an associate or bachelor’s degree in psychology. Those who wish to become professionals in their chosen field will need at least a master’s degree, and more often, a doctorate, which will give them a competitive edge and well-paid careers.

What You Can Do With a Psychology Degree in 2022

If you already have a degree in psychology or are considering one and are wondering what you can do with a psychology degree, then you need to give this spelling the utmost attention.

According to the American Psychological Association's Center for Workforce Research, as of 2017, approximately 3.5 million people in the United States had a bachelor's degree in psychology.

While many of them received degrees or doctorates in psychology or other fields, a solid two million (or 56% of psychologists) did not. So, what if you decide not to pursue a clinical or academic career or pursue another degree?

Don't worry; There are numerous options and career paths that you can follow after earning a psychology degree. And this letter will give you everything you need to know about what you can do with a psychology degree.

Psychology training is applicable to many professions. Psychology graduates are particularly rich in transferable skills, including communication, analysis, and critical thinking. These skills are in high demand by large employers.

A degree in psychology will help you develop both quantitative skills (through courses such as research and statistics) and more creative, open-minded thinking patterns.

Through psychology degrees, people learn to understand human behavior and use data and research in real-life settings. These valuable skills can be used in many fields such as business, law, education and other social sciences. «

Essentially, your psychology major can help you grow into a person with a wealth of hard and soft skills and a clear understanding of yourself and other people, which can be useful in a variety of jobs.

Psychology is a versatile degree that can lead to a wide range of careers, making it one of the most popular majors for students.

Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior and the psyche. A psychology degree may include training in abnormal psychology, human development, and experimental psychology.

From degree in psychology graduates can find work as school psychologists, clinical psychologists and psychiatrists. The degree can also lead to job opportunities in areas such as marketing, human resources, social work, and education.

This article introduces aspiring students to popular psychology professions, explores jobs at different levels of study, and explores the earning potential for a career in psychology.

Colleges offer associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in psychology. Each degree prepares graduates for different job opportunities.

For example, counselors and therapists often require a master's degree, while clinical psychologists often require a doctorate. This section discusses career opportunities for each mental fitness level.

Associate Degree in Psychology introduces students to the scientific study of human behavior and the mind. Graduates with an associate's degree can become psychiatrists, staff assistants, and rehabilitation specialists. This degree also prepares students to move to an undergraduate program after two years and earn a bachelor's degree.

During the Associate's Degree, students take introductory courses in psychology and complete the general educational requirements in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. It usually takes two years to complete an Associate's degree.

A bachelor's degree is the first step in many career paths in psychology. This degree prepares graduates for roles such as behavioral disorder counselor, social worker, and mental health counselor. Other important areas for graduates of psychology degrees include human resources, criminal justice, and social services.

During their undergraduate studies, psychologists take courses in abnormal psychology, human behavior, organizational psychology, and social psychology to develop basic assessment and research skills. In addition to teaching psychology, students must meet general educational requirements.

A bachelor's degree usually takes four years for full-time students and about two years for students who already have an associate's degree or have qualifying college credits.

Psychologists can earn a bachelor's degree or a bachelor's degree in psychology. Both degrees train students in psychology, and students often choose the same majors. The BS may include more lab work than the BA.

Outside the core courses, degree requirements vary even more. BA specializes in programs in the humanities and social sciences, including lessons in history, sociology and English. Most undergraduate degrees also require a foreign language. While for a bachelor's degree, science and mathematics courses are required, such as statistics, biology, and chemistry.

Both undergraduate and bachelor's degrees can lead to many vacancies for psychology graduates.

The Master's degree prepares graduates for careers in psychology that do not require a doctoral degree, such as: B. School or work psychologist. Earning a master's degree also helps psychology students specialize in their education before graduation.

During the master's degree in psychology students take courses on research, theory and methods of psychology. Most master's programs for full-time students last about two years.

After completing the course requirements, undergraduates often write a dissertation or take a comprehensive examination. Students usually also complete supervised internships to gain hands-on experience.

Many programs offer concentrations in areas such as neuropsychology, developmental psychology, and educational psychology. Specialized programs may also cover child psychology or forensic psychology.

A Doctor of Psychology is a prerequisite for becoming a licensed clinical psychologist. These include professions such as child psychologist, counseling psychologist and neuropsychologist. This degree also prepares graduates for careers as psychology professors.

At the doctoral level, psychology students can earn a doctoral degree. or Psy.D. The Ph.D. emphasizes research and prepares graduates for academic or research assignments, while Psy.D. focuses on clinical practice.

A PhD in Psychology usually takes about five years, including coursework, a dissertation and an internship.

Some psychology doctoral programs specialize in areas such as educational psychology, behavioral psychology, or organizational psychology. The specialized doctoral program helps students prepare for specific career paths in the field of psychology after graduation.

Let's take a look at some of the well paying jobs that can be obtained with a psychology degree. In most cases, this has nothing to do with psychology.

You can earn big money by applying for any of the following positions:

Earning Range: $41,000 to $79,000

Marketing Analysts are responsible for helping companies better understand their customers and their industry.

Market analysts typically use a variety of datasets and statistics about a company's target audience (eg, buying trends, market research, and customer surveys) to gain insight and help companies develop strategies for various business initiatives.

They may focus on generating leads, increasing market share, or marketing their existing customer base more effectively.

Because psychologists can use their knowledge of human behavior to understand client behavior and are well versed in research, data, and statistics, their experience makes them ideal candidates for this role.

Salary range: $65,000.

Job description includes support for vulnerable people. It also includes helping people find psychological resources in their community, providing direct-to-people counseling services, and other forms of case management services.

It's all about the best jobs for those with a degree in psychology.

Salary Range: $40,000.

Psychiatrists work with patients suffering from mental disorders. Their work is usually done in a clinic under the supervision of a licensed psychologist.

Primary tasks may include teaching patients new skills that can be used at home or at work.

The reason is that you need more than just a bachelor's degree to qualify as a psychiatrist.

Salary Range: $60,000.

Staff and managers earn a very decent amount. This role includes interacting with employees and building a structure to improve employee efficiency and productivity.

Senior HR professionals have a variety of backgrounds, including psychology. Some HR professionals actually earn more than 6 numbers. This is another high-paying job that can be obtained with a bachelor's degree in psychology.

Earning range: $38,000 to $75,000

Copywriters are responsible for writing and copying, for example, company website content, email marketing campaigns, user experience (UX), and promotional materials.

Copywriters may be hired by brands directly (referred to as "in-house copywriters") or by marketing and advertising agencies (referred to as "agency copywriters"), or they may be freelancers.

The key to writing success is understanding what motivates people and then using that understanding to write copy that motivates people to take action, whether it's signing up for a newsletter, clicking on a particular ad, or buying a product.

Because psychologists have a deep understanding of human behavior, they can be excellent copywriters.

Earning Range: $56,000 to $95,000

The job of a counselor suits a psychologist. Most career consultants make around $56,000, although you can earn more. This is one of the high paying jobs for a bachelor's degree in psychology.

Career consultants in schools and public educational institutions usually earn the most. The best workers in this profession can earn $95,000.

Salary range: $50,000.

Although this is a similar task for a career counselor, none of them advise on the same issue.

Substance abuse counselors work one-on-one with people who are addicted to alcohol or drugs, which may include group counseling.

As a consultant, you will have direct contact with people who are currently in crisis or who have been in contact with the criminal justice system.

This is another high-paying job that you can get with a degree in psychology with a decent annual salary.

Salary Range: $54,000.

Probation officers perform many roles. One of the most striking is the surveillance of those convicted of crimes.

Probation officers often make recommendations to courts and work with other professionals to monitor clients' behavior at home, at work, and elsewhere.

Agree, the psychologist likes this job description very much and for him it is a highly paid job.

Earning Range: $36,000 to $92,000

Sales Executives (often referred to as AEs) are responsible for identifying new leads, promoting their company's products or services, closing new deals, and managing their accounts and their sale.

To be successful in sales, AEs must understand their customers - what their problems are, what they are looking for in a solution, and what will motivate them to make a purchase and close a deal.

Understanding human behavior and motivation typically forms a significant part of the undergraduate psychology curriculum. This can prepare psychology students for a successful career in sales.

It's worth noting that bonuses and commissions are almost ubiquitous in the trading professions and make a significant contribution to AE's potential earnings. When you factor in the average bonus, commission, and profit sharing in addition to the average salary, the average potential total income goes up to 9$6,515.

Earning Range: $57,000 to $131,000

When a company develops a product, they want to make sure the people they are designing it for like it, and user experience researchers (often UX researchers for short) have the responsibility responsible for it.

UX researchers gather data to try to understand the people who make up the core demographic of their product's users, and then use that knowledge to guide the design process and ensure that the final product is simple and engaging for the audience.

UX researchers need a balance between qualitative and quantitative research skills (such as interviewing target users and analyzing user interaction data for a new website feature), as well as being able to match their peers—skills that are commonplace in a psychology course.

Earning range: $56,000 to $125,000

Diversity and Inclusion Managers are responsible for creating a work environment and culture that allows employees from all walks of life to thrive.

Depending on the organization, diversity and engagement managers may have different responsibilities, including developing company policy, developing D&I training programs, leading D&I hiring initiatives, and handling complaints related to harassment and other D&I workplace issues.

An understanding of human behavior and psychological concepts, including cognitive biases and psychological safety, is critical to this role.

Diversity and Inclusion Managers also need a strong sense of empathy, compassion, and ethics, all qualities noted in a psychology degree.

Earning Range: $35,000 to $58,000

Academic advisors work at colleges and universities and are responsible for guiding and advising students on their educational journeys.

This may include meeting with potential students to determine if a college or university is right for them, advising new students on their core capabilities, or giving students with academic difficulties access to resources they can use to improve their grades and need services.

Psychologists, especially those who have completed counseling courses, are often great for counseling roles that require excellent communication, empathy, and other interpersonal skills.

Earning Range: $40,000 to $84,000

Customer Service Managers are responsible for managing the company's customer service operations. This includes communicating directly with customers, as well as managing and training customer service representatives so they can work more effectively with customers.

Customer service managers need to know how to communicate effectively, manage conflict, relieve stress (since many customers who contact customer service have complaints or problems), and ensure that the customer feels their needs are being met.

Basically, they need to understand who their customers are, why they interact and how they can feel heard and understood - and that's okay.

There is a common misconception that a bachelor's degree in psychology is practically useless on its own; A bachelor's degree in psychology is only useful as a prerequisite for a master's or doctoral degree in psychology.

This is simply not true. It's true that a bachelor's degree in psychology can be a big step towards earning a degree, but it can be applied to several career paths outside of psychology.

In fact, about 40% of psychology students study in law or business schools. However, a bachelor's degree in psychology may well have its value.

• www.careerprofiles.info ›Bachelor-psychology ..
• www.prospect.ac.uk
• www.bestcolleges.com ›blog› what-can-do-with-psychology.

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How does a psychologist work?

Mistrust is fueled by widespread myths about psychotherapy. In this article, we have analyzed several stereotypes that prevent many from receiving the necessary psychological help.

Practicing psychologist Olga Kitaina participated in the preparation of the material.

Go see a doctor

Our articles are written with love for evidence-based medicine. We refer to authoritative sources and go to doctors with a good reputation for comments. But remember: the responsibility for your health lies with you and your doctor. We don't write prescriptions, we make recommendations. Relying on our point of view or not is up to you.

Myth No. 1

Opinion: “Psychotherapy will not solve problems. How can conversations affect anything?

Really. Psychotherapy - consultations of a psychologist or psychotherapist - is an effective method of treating mental disorders.

Research shows how psychotherapy changes the human brain. A good specialist creates something like an enriched learning environment: a trusting environment increases neuroplasticity. As a result, neural connections are reorganized to better regulate strong responses.

Systematic Review of the Neural Foundations of Psychotherapy for Anxiety and Related Disorders - ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

How Psychotherapy Changes Our Brains - Psychology Today

How Research on Memory Restoration Helps to Improve the Effectiveness and Unification of Psychotherapy - link.springer.com

This happens due to increased feedback of the prefrontal cortex - it suppresses the limbic system responsible for emotions. In addition, psychotherapy can influence memory - thanks to this, destructive beliefs can go away.

The American Psychological Association, which is the reference point for therapists in many other countries, has drawn up a resolution on the effectiveness of psychotherapy. More than 50 studies have been selected in it, showing that the method helps fight depression and anxiety, has an effect on personality disorders, and many others.

Recognition of the effectiveness of psychotherapy - American Psychological Association

Psychotherapy sometimes helps even with problems that are not mentally related. For example, consultations can relieve symptoms of gastroenterological diseases or chronic pain.

According to psychologists Bruce Wampold and Zach Imel, the average client of a psychotherapist will make more progress in solving psychological problems than 79% of those who did not seek help.

The Great Psychotherapy Debate - amazon.com

Myth No. 2

Opinion: "It's better to complain about life to friends who are sincerely worried about you than to someone else and for money."

Really. Deep and open communication with friends does make life better, but it will not replace psychotherapy.

Psychologists have studied how the psyche works and are familiar with the methods of solving certain problems. They build relationships with customers according to a certain structure. It has a diagnostic stage, building a strong therapeutic relationship, setting goals, applying various strategies and techniques, doing homework, building skills, experimenting, collecting feedback.

In addition, the therapeutic relationship, unlike the friendly one, is one-sided. The psychologist is completely focused on the client and does not use the conversation to satisfy his own needs.

The specialist also strives to be neutral and unbiased. This allows him to notice elements of behavior or thought patterns that close people do not notice.

/psy-stories/

“Understood that there are no unsolvable problems”: 7 stories about how psychotherapy has changed lives

Often a person is more forthright in a psychologist's office than in a bar with a friend. If a friend can accidentally give out a secret, devalue experiences or condemn for an opinion, then with a psychologist the risk of this is much lower.

Finally, psychologists do not give advice. They may not know how to do the right thing in a given situation, but they can help you learn to find your own answers to difficult questions. Friends often give advice out of a sincere desire to help, but it is not always worth listening to them. Friends often advise people with aerophobia to drink before a flight, but a psychologist will never recommend this - such behavior will only aggravate the situation in the future.

What is the difference between talking to a psychologist and talking to a friend

With a psychologist

With a friend

You can be honest

You may not be able to be completely honest

The psychologist is client-centered

The friend may not be so considerate

The psychologist will not give advice

The information is often kept confidential by friends

Confidentiality not guaranteed

Psychologist strives for objectivity

Friends often have preconceived notions

Psychologist is qualified to deal with psychological problems

Friends are not qualified to solve psychological problems

Myth No. 3

Opinion: “The longer the psychotherapy, the better the result. A couple of sessions won't do any good."

Really. Several older studies did show that it is long-term psychotherapy that is effective, but the results of modern research are less categorical.

They demonstrate that for different people the number of sessions required will vary: someone may need 4 sessions to solve a problem, and someone more than 30.

Dose-effect ratio and treatment duration adjustment — researchgate.net

Cognitive-behavioral therapy has protocols with approximate terms for solving various problems, but this framework is very arbitrary and diverges from real life.

The number of appointments depends on the nature and severity of the problem. The identity of the client, the therapist, and the resources available to the client at the time of treatment also play an important role.

The method in which the psychotherapist works is also important. If this is psychoanalytic therapy, then most likely a large number of sessions will be needed. If this is a short-term solution-oriented therapy, you are unlikely to go beyond 20 sessions: this approach does not involve analyzing the client's past, but helps him find a practical solution to the problem. But it is not always worth striving to reduce the number of sessions, it is important to focus on feelings: if you doubt the effectiveness of the chosen approach, you should talk about it with a therapist or contact another.

Myth No. 4

Opinion: “It only makes sense to go to a CBT. Other therapies won't be as effective."

Really. CBT does get a lot of research, and there's a lot of evidence that it works. However, this is far from the only method.

Psychotherapy approaches studied show approximately the same effectiveness. For the first time, the similarity of the result with different methods was noticed by the American psychologist Saul Rosenzweig in 1936 years. He explained it this way: a good specialist in any approach will build a supportive and trusting atmosphere, strive to work consistently towards a common goal. This gives the main positive result. The paradox is equally effectively called the Dodo effect, after the bird in Alice in Wonderland. At the end of the race, the bird said, "Everyone wins and everyone gets prizes."

Reliable Psychotherapies Have Similar Effectiveness - Evidence-Based Mental HealthPDF, 105KB

And already in the 1990s, psychologist Michael Lambert summarized the results of research and divided all the factors that affect the outcome of psychotherapy into four groups. According to his estimates, the chosen approach of psychotherapy is responsible for no more than 15% of the result. The personal characteristics of the patient and whether the psychotherapist managed to build a trusting relationship with him are much more influential.

11 types of psychotherapy that work

What factors influence the outcome of psychotherapy

Client characteristics: diagnosis, severity of symptoms, motivation for change and environment

40%

Relationship between therapist and client

30%

Client's belief in the possibility of positive change

15%

Method of therapy

15%

And although the approach of psychotherapy is not so important when choosing a problem, it sometimes makes sense to build on it. For example, CBT has special protocols for dealing with anxiety and depressive disorders. In dialectical behavioral therapy and schema therapy - with borderline personality disorder. Existential therapy was originally aimed at working with the fear of death and loneliness. The systems family approach focuses on relationship issues.

Vedas, horoscopes and 8 more unscientific methods in psychology

In any case, the main thing is how comfortable you are with the therapist. The result will depend on this.

Myth No. 5

Opinion: "Young psychologists don't know life, can they help?"

Really. A team of American researchers studied the progress of 6,591 clients who were consulted by 170 therapists. Progress was measured against a report that clients completed before each session.

Do psychotherapists' skills improve with time and experience - American Psychological AssociationPDF, 119KB

The result was that the average therapist's performance did not increase with age and experience. If we look not at the average values, but at the individual trajectories of therapists, then 40% of them increased their efficiency with experience, and in 60% it slightly, but decreased. What does it depend on? Apparently, it depends on how much the specialist is engaged in the development of professional skills - for example, whether he is undergoing additional training.

So young professionals should not be avoided - they can offer more affordable prices and at the same time not be inferior in skills to older colleagues. First of all, you should pay attention to whether a particular person inspires confidence in you. Ideally, if you manage to find the social networks of a specialist or his articles: they can roughly understand the level of a person’s competence, his personal characteristics and values.

/psychotherapy-search/

How to choose a psychotherapist

Myth No. 6

Opinion: "If you don't pay money for consultations, then you have no incentive to work. "

Really. Sigmund Freud expressed similar ideas. He believed that if consultations are too cheap, a person loses the motive to stop treatment as soon as possible, and therefore make every effort.

Freud on the beginning of therapyPDF, 1.4 MB

But modern research shows that free psychological help can be just as effective as paid psychological help.

For example, American psychologists studied the reports of 1125 clients who visited the clinic. For some of them, therapy was free, and some had to pay up to $50 per appointment. After statistical analysis, it turned out that the cost of therapy did not affect the number of meetings and treatment results.

Impact of cost of psychotherapy on outcomes in low-income clients - link.springer.com

Cost of counseling and outpatient psychotherapy - doi.apa.org

In another study, psychologists examined the impact of diagnosis, clients' socioeconomic status, and payment method on psychotherapy.

Sessions could be paid or free, paid for by insurance or welfare. As a result, the diagnosis turned out to be the only factor that influenced the duration and effectiveness of the therapeutic process. Payment did not affect the number of meetings, attendance, or treatment outcomes.

So, if you don't have the opportunity to go to a psychologist for money, it makes sense to turn to specialized services. It can make your life better.

Myth No. 7

Opinion: "Depression and other disorders can only be cured with pills, not with talking."

Really. For some disorders, psychotherapy and drug therapy are equally effective. And sometimes a combination of the two approaches works best.

For example, in the treatment of depression, there is no significant difference in efficacy between psychotherapy and antidepressants. However, when treated exclusively with antidepressants, people are more likely to stop the course prematurely, apparently due to side effects of the drugs.

Meta-analysis of the effects of psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy and their combination - onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Persistent effects of cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of depression and anxiety - pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

In addition, the effect of psychotherapy in the treatment of depression persists longer. Only 25% of psychotherapist clients with depression relapse, compared to 50% of those taking antidepressants.

This is most likely due to the fact that in the course of psychotherapy clients acquire various stabilization skills that can be used after the end of treatment.

So by far the most effective way to treat depression is to combine psychotherapy and medication. Here's what else we know:

1. There is evidence that combination therapy also works best for panic and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
2. Cognitive behavioral therapy is generally more effective than antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs in the treatment of anxiety disorders.

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