How can a psychologist help you?

Despite the fact that it is increasingly common to go to a psychologist, and that the patient profile has become incredibly varied in the In recent decades, there is still a somewhat limited view of the tasks that psychologists can perform to help people people.

And it is that the idea that psychological intervention is fundamentally for people with severe psychiatric illnesses is totally wrong today, despite the fact that many people still believe in it. After all, behind a type of problem or need of a psychological nature, there are psychology professionals working to give it treatment and care.

So that... How can a psychologist really help you? Next we will see a summary.

• Related article: "The 8 benefits of going to psychological therapy

The utility of going to the psychologist

Let's start with the most basic: what is psychology? It is basically the science that studies behavior and psychological processes, which include the way we think, feel, and act. From this scientific field arises the branch of applied psychology, which uses scientific knowledge to solve psychological root problems of individuals, groups and institutions.

If you notice, until now there has been no mention of the concept "disease", "pathology" or "disorder". And this is no coincidence: psychologists do not work simply obeying terms that limit our scope of intervention, but we use these concepts to know what we are talking about when working with certain psychological phenomena, and to differentiate them from the rest. In other words, we distinguish between the pathological and the non-pathological only if it makes sense to do so in a certain context, and not because the raison d'être of our work is mental illness: it is not is.

There is no clear dividing line between what has traditionally been called "madness" and the rest. of behavior patterns. Beyond the fields of work in which each professional specializes, psychologists We work with all psychological processes in general, not only with those that can be considered disorders.

You just have to think about what is usually done in couples therapy or school psychology to see clear examples of psychologists helping people who in many Sometimes they have not been diagnosed with any disorder and simply suffer from lack of motivation, difficulties living with someone, frustration at not having friends etc

How can a psychologist help?

Now that we have seen that psychology is a very broad area of ​​work and full of challenges, it is easier to understand that psychologists tend to intervene in a wide variety of problems. These are the most important areas of work.

1. mood problems

There are many people who go to the psychologist because feel sad or emotionally stuck. This often occurs in cases where there is depression or other mood disorders, but in others, there is no identifiable disorder, just a person going through a bad time, simply. For example, because of the recent death of a loved one, or because she has been laid off from work.

In all these cases, psychologists work so that our patients learn to maintain habits that keep suffering of this type at bay.

2. anxiety problems

Anxiety and excess stress are frequent problems that can occur at any age.

On some occasions, much of what causes this discomfort has to do with genetic predispositions, while in other cases it is mainly due to the fact that having lived through stressful situations or being subjected to anxiety-inducing environments (school where there are bullying attacks, very competitive work spaces, etc.). In any case, significant improvement is almost always possible through psychotherapy.

3. Aftermath of bullying or traumatic events

The fact of being victims of violence can mark many people. In the sessions with the psychologist, everything is done so that these painful memories stop frightening the people who suffer from them.

4. couple problems

As we have seen, this is another of the areas in which psychologists get involved to improve the quality of life of those who are in a relationship.

5. Support for people with existential crisis

There are people who go to a psychologist simply because they don't know what to do with their lives, which can be summarized as a problem of lack of sources of motivation. In the psychologist's office it is easier to find exciting projects and commit to ways to learn new skills that allow you to enter new paths of personal development.

6. Learning and developmental problems

Both in child and adolescent psychotherapy and in psychological assistance to boys and girls without diagnosed disorders, psychology professionals help them learn to relate to others, with the content taught at school and with their own emotions and thoughts.

7. Psychological assistance to patients with chronic pathologies

Many psychologists specialize in giving psychological support to patients with pathologies and disorders that are damaging their quality of life, many of which are severe. We can highlight, for example, the therapists who treat people with psychotic disorders, with dementia or with diseases that have to directly affect the nervous system, such as cancer.

8. Therapy for people with eating disorders

Another of the psychologist's areas of specialization is eating problems, and specifically support for people with obesity, metabolic disorders or eating disorders (as the anorexy or bulimia).

Where to find psychological assistance?

Today, psychologists work in a wide variety of contexts, both in companies and in schools and public and private health clinics.

If you are interested in contacting our psychotherapy center in Seville, Cribecca Psicología, you can find our contact details by doing click here.