Have you ever wondered why you need an instructor to learn how to drive a car? Will you be able to learn to drive a car if no one explains to you how it works? And even if you are very smart, which method is more effective: learning to drive by trial and error or taking driving lessons from an experienced instructor? How long will it take you in the first and second cases? Why then does the idea of ​​turning to a psychologist seem unusual to you in order to learn some new skill or deal with a difficult situation in your life? Each of us has a set of habitual ways of solving problems, and these habitual ways, in turn, determine the life scenario; in order to change the life scenario, if it does not suit you, you need to change the usual ways of behavior. It is often not possible to identify them and change them on your own, since it requires a professional outside view and a certain skill. The ability to analyze a situation, the ability to find cause-and-effect relationships, to understand why exactly what happens to us happens to us is knowledge that we are not born with, but that we learn. Some were luckier, and they were taught this by loved ones, parents or teachers, while others still have to fill these gaps, and the psychologist will help cope with the formation of a new skill as quickly and efficiently as possible, because he learned how to do it and knows all the necessary mechanisms for transferring the necessary knowledge. And he also knows how to look at a situation from the outside, assess it impartially, identify causes and patterns, and find that very “weak” link that prevents the desired scenario from being realized. Yes, interest in the services of psychologists among Russian citizens is steadily growing. According to a survey by the Public Opinion Foundation, 17% of Muscovites (that is, almost every fifth) have turned to a psychologist for help or advice. However, many people still have an extremely vague idea of ​​what they are “buying” when they come to a psychologist for a consultation. At the same time, it remains completely unclear what psychological counseling can and cannot provide, in what cases and who is best to contact, what you should pay attention to and, most importantly, what results can be expected from consultations. In what cases and who to contact? In fact, how many people there are, there are so many reasons to seek psychological help. One comes to resolve a conflict with a child, another comes because he doesn’t get along with his boss, the third because his personal life is not working out, the fourth because he is tired of his obsessive states and anxieties. You can contact a psychologist in almost any case when a situation worries you and you cannot cope with it on your own. However, when choosing a specialist, it is important to pay attention to what he works with. I am repeatedly faced with the fact that they call me and ask me to help deal with problems that are not within the scope of my professional competencies. When I ask whether you have read the information about my specialization, it turns out that you have not. So, before you call a specialist, look for information about him, find out in what field he is a professional. Does he work with drug addicts and codependents, or is he a specialist in family issues, or is he a child psychologist, or does he work with excess weight. It is impossible to be a professional in everything. If a psychologist writes that he is a specialist in all areas, then for me this would be an alarming sign, since it is impossible to know everything, and each job has its own specifics. What to expect from psychological help? What can and cannot a psychologist give? When turning to a psychologist for help, most people hope to feel better as quickly as possible, and this is normal. However, simply talking about your problems does not mean changing the situation. This is the bait of psychics and fortune tellers, the nuances of which I won’t go into now..