The 8 most important skills of a therapist

There is no doubt that Psychology is one of the most complex sciences and that those who dedicate themselves to it professionally has never read enough to know everything about mind and behavior human.

However, the emphasis on theoretical knowledge often hides the fact that, at least in the case of psychotherapy, much of the skills and abilities of the professionals have not so much to do with memorizing data and textual information, but rather with the mastery of certain practical skills, linked to real-time interaction with patients.

And there is no clinical manual (or instruction manual) that allows by itself to offer a quality service to those who needs help of this kind: you have to have several skills that allow you to adapt to what is happening during the session.

Therefore, in this article we will talk about the most important skills that a therapist can have to perform well in her work and be able to give her best to patients, especially in the world of psychological therapy.

• Related article: "12 career opportunities in Psychology"

The most important therapist skills when caring for patients

When providing adequate psychotherapeutic care, the most important skills that professionals must apply are the following.

1. Context domain

Yes In any communicative situation, the context is always capable of giving one meaning or another to the words.This is even more the case in the field of psychological therapy, in which very personal issues are touched upon, about which the patient may be reluctant to speak directly. That is why it is very important that therapists develop their ability to read between the lines and understand what is hidden beyond the literal, in order to detect the feelings and concepts that are linked to what worries patients or what hurts them at the emotional.

• You may be interested: "The 10 basic communication skills"

2. Assertiveness

Assertiveness, understood as the ability to communicate important ideas without giving in to fear of disturbing (although always taking into account the feelings and interests of the interlocutor) is key in therapy. Therapists must know how to guide the conversation towards those topics that are relevant at all times, and this happens by not running away from certain conversations or certain key questions that must be asked when the moment arises.

• Related article: "Assertiveness: 5 basic habits to improve communication"

3. organization of time

Knowing how to control time is essential not only during a therapy session (in which you have to know when and how to approach certain topics), but also when planning the days and weeks in general. We must not forget that the work of the psychotherapist psychologist does not end when she is not dealing directly with patients; It is necessary to take care of maintaining a correct maintenance and order in the work space (essential for, among other things, work smoothly and without interruption when working with people who need help) and it is also necessary to carry out tasks related to communication and marketing, dealing with collaborators, making collections and payments, controlling the finance etc As vocational as this work may be, it is precisely that, a job carried out with material resources and in association with other professionals. Are they are apparently banal tasks but of vital importance to stay afloat in the job market.

• You may be interested: "Time management: 13 tips to take advantage of the hours of the day"

4. uncertainty tolerance

In therapy there will always be a space given over to uncertainty. We are dealing with people with all that this entails: they are not puzzles to be solved, but very complex human beings who are constantly evolution, so it would be totally counterproductive to try to know exactly what they experience, how they think in each moment, etc. Falling into these claims only leads to frustration and job burnout.

Therefore, another of the key skills of the therapist is, while offering psychological assistance, assume that you cannot and should not try to fully capture the essence of the person with whom you are dealing, nor offer absolute explanations about their behavior patterns. The focus should always be on your problem or need to cover, and from there, detect relevant pieces of information.

• Related article: "Fear of uncertainty: 8 keys to overcome it"

5. empathic sensitivity

Beyond the information that can be expressed in words, it is important to connect emotionally with the patient. Of course, you have to keep a balance between close treatment and even personal appreciation (if the latter arises) and professionalism. Therefore, the way to address the problems for which the patient has come to the consultation should not be purely intellectual or motivated by curiosity: you have to know how to respect certain limits and do everything possible to make the process comfortable (without give up therapeutic objectives that can go through facing fears and leaving the zone of comfort).

• You may be interested: "Empathy, much more than putting yourself in the place of the other"

6. Ability to learn to learn

Learning to learn consists, among other things, in adopting consultation routines from reliable sources of information, but not only that. It also consists of test oneself, get used to reviewing information, train collaboratively and combine it with study and individual practice, and more.

7. Synthesis capacity

The ability to synthesize makes it possible for therapists not to be left with a simple collection of data given by the patient: you have to know how to select what is important and create, with it, a map of the problem to be treated and of the possible solutions. That is, you have to know how to create new information with the information already given, which also provides a reference in order, as the therapeutic process progresses, to know if the correct hypothesis has been worked on or not.

• Related article: "The 13 types of learning: what are they?"

8. self-critical capacity

Finally, we must not forget that the work of psychotherapists involves a constant routine of learning from mistakes. There are too many variables at play not to be wrong on a regular basiseven in the smallest details. But if we take for granted that as professionals we always have the most objective and informed view of what happens to the patient, this ability is lost.

Do you want to specialize in the world of psychotherapy?

If you want to become a professional in the field of psychological therapy, the Master in Integrative Psychotherapy of Institut Mensalus is for you. This one-year training program is designed for graduates or graduates in Psychology who want to develop as psychotherapists from an integrating theoretical position, and in addition, its realization allows obtaining a University Degree from the University Nebrija of Madrid.

It is a very good option to learn the theoretical-practical aspects of therapy from the hand of psychologists who dedicate most of their professional activity to patient care in the center itself Mensalus; Thus, the Master allows you to see real therapy sessions and participate in practices with real patients under the supervision of therapist-tutors. In addition, it gives the possibility of taking classes in person or remotely online live.