The 10 most outstanding social skills of a good psychologist

Social skills are those communication and emotional management skills that allow us to express ourselves, understand others and connect with other people.

These skills help us to develop well in our private lives, but there is no doubt that they are also of great importance in most jobs. And the role of psychologist psychotherapist is one of the positions in which these become more relevant. Therefore, in this article we will see what social skills are most important for the professional performance of psychologists.

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What are the most important social skills for a good psychologist?

Psychology is one of the professions where these skills are most necessary because the correct relationship and communication between client and therapist is essential to understand the root of the reason for consultation, to communicate well what the solutions proposed by the psychologist consist of, and to increase commitment to treatment, which contributes to meeting the goals of any form of intervention psychological.

In this sense, there are several social skills that are essential for the proper functioning of a psychological therapy, and without which a psychology professional would have serious difficulties in making his or her worked. They are the following.

1. Synthesis capacity

The ability to synthesize when giving specific information is a key communication skill that allows you to summarize complex ideas and feelings in a few keywords so that the client can understand almost everything in a short time weather.

This skill is also necessary to help the client express what she feels and, ultimately, to put in a few words everything that the person presents in his inner emotional world, something necessary to understand what happens to him.

Since the main therapeutic vehicle for any psychologist is based on words, any professional who dedicated to treating psychological alterations must train this communicative skill and many others associated with same.

• You may be interested: "The 6 types of social skills, and what they are for"

2. Assertiveness

Assertiveness is the ability to express one's own interests, approaches or ideas, always defending one's own point of view but at the same time without neglecting the interests or integrity of others.

It is one of the most important social skills to function in society and also a very important virtue for any psychologist, since in therapy it is necessary to deal with sensitive issues, being tactful, but without avoiding talking about it due to the discomfort that can generate.

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

3. Ability to read context

Knowing how to correctly identify the context in which they are said according to what things is essential for all good psychologist who intends to understand everything that his client tells him in therapy and to know Express oneself.

This is of great importance because context greatly influences the meaning of words and phrases, and information can have one value or another depending on the situation in which it is expressed.

Similarly, it is also important to know how to identify the motivations that a person may have to say or do something in particular, according to the context in which they find themselves.

4. empathic ability

Empathy is the ability that we human beings have to put ourselves in the place of another person and understand what are their motivations, desires, intentions, opinions or suffering that may to experience.

This social skill is surely one of the first that a psychologist must have incorporated, and it consists of a process of recognizing and identifying the actions, circumstances and feelings that the other person may have, without necessarily having to accept or validate them. Of course, all this without confusing the role of therapist with the role of friend or friend.

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

5. Leadership

Leadership is an essential skill for any professional, but in the case of psychology it acquires paramount importance, since a good therapist You must be able to guide your client through the therapy process..

This means knowing how to direct therapy and conversations where it is most convenient for the client and, on the contrary, avoid treating in depth those topics that may not be so important in that moment.

• Related article: "Types of Leadership: The 5 most common types of leader"

6. self leadership

Self-leadership is also an essential social skill, since the psychologist himself must be clear at all times what is the path to take during therapy with a client and knowing how to put their personal interests ahead of anything, even above their own impulses.

Self-leadership also means being methodical, orderly, disciplined and always following the path that best suits the person the therapist is treating.

7. self-criticism

Self-criticism is as necessary as self-leadership and it is the skill that allows each professional to in front of the mirror and analyze if you are really doing your job well or if you are fit for the task that has been given to you entrusted.

This capacity allows each of the therapists to recognize, whenever it is the case, that we cannot know at all times what the client thinks or how he feels and helps us seek support or advice from other professionals, other psychologists or referring the case to another professional.

8. Respect

The respect of a psychologist towards his client and towards the profession itself It must be constant from the start of therapy to its completion. It involves taking into account everything that is at stake when dealing with the problems that the patient experiences.

It is one of the basic social skills to relate correctly in society and also in one of the essential pillars so that the therapy achieves its main objective: the improvement in the mental health of the customer.

9. Active listening

Active listening is also another of those social skills that cannot be missing from the repertoire of a good psychologist, and is the basis for achieving a clear understanding during each therapy session.

Active listening means listening to the other person's words and also attending to what what you don't say, your concerns, motivations, fears, feelings, emotional pain, and language don't verbal.

• You may be interested: "Active listening: the key to communicate with others"

10. Sense of humor

A sense of humor is one of those accessory social skills, which may seem minor, but can be very helpful during the course of therapy.

humor in therapy can be used to relieve tension provoked by serious or very serious topics and also helps the client to relax when he has to talk about difficult or traumatic topics.

Do you want to train in psychology?

If you want to train and develop the key social skills of the psychologist, you will be interested in the Master in Integrative Psychotherapy offered by Institut Mensalus.

It is a one-year training program that can be carried out in person or online, and that focuses on the importance of practice in the treatment of patients. This Master gives the possibility of learning from the observation and participation in contexts of real psychotherapy, with real patients, and in the facilities of Mensalus, an entity dedicated to the assistance psychological. To find out more, contact us.