The topic indicated in the title is essentially a must-have for any psychological blog. The Internet is full of articles on this topic, and new publications appear again and again. This means that a satisfactory answer to this question has not yet been found, or has been found, but has not become part of the public consensus (that is, the point on which the majority of people agree). Having read a large number of materials on the topic, I will say that their content, alas, is far from satisfactory. Let's look at the popular misconceptions propagated in these articles. Having sorted out all the wrong approaches, it will not be difficult to understand how to choose the right psychologist. So, point 1. Higher psychological education. Chronologically, this point is usually even written first :). Looking ahead, I will say that I have a higher education in psychology. I received my bachelor's degree in psychology in 2010 and my master's degree in 2012. Was it useful to me? Frankly, no. With the same success, I could learn to be a carpenter or a cook - the benefits would be at least no less, and most likely much more. Why doesn’t it work? Almost everyone today has a higher education. In practice, the fact of its presence only means that its owner is patient and diligent enough to at least occasionally attend a university for 5-6 years and, at least superficially, fulfill the requirements of teachers (or even better, find a personal approach to them). There were teachers who sincerely loved their job, and whom I remember with gratitude, but in general, higher psychological education consists of reading material from dusty notes, from which the teachers themselves often studied. The knowledge presented in these lectures is, at best, 20 years out of date, and at worst, 50 years old. Therefore, having a higher education is in no way a sign of literacy and professionalism of a psychologist. Point 2. Additional professional training. But this is really important, and the significance of this point logically follows from the previous one. Since the knowledge that is given at psychology departments is absolutely useless from the point of view of building a private practice and working with clients, a person who wants to work in his specialty, after receiving a diploma, has to undergo many more various courses of additional professional training, where he or she will actually be taught how to consult ( or they won’t teach you). This point will allow you, firstly, to find out in which direction (psychoanalysis, Gestalt, CBT, etc.) the specialist works, and, secondly, demonstrate his specialization (depression, social anxiety, family relationships, etc.). Let me note that there are no bad areas of psychology (among the recognized ones) - there are, on the one hand, bad psychologists, and, on the other, methods that may not be suitable for you personally. And you can only find out which methods are right for you by trying different ones and relying on experience. Point 3. Compliance with professional ethics. I believe that this point is very important. The psychologist does not sleep with clients, does not enter into dual relationships with them (for example, a joint business or friendship), does not take actions that will jeopardize the well-being of the client, and does not make clearly offensive or derogatory comments addressed to him. Two are needed here. reservations. Firstly, in those areas of psychology where transference (the unconscious transfer to a psychologist of feelings previously experienced with a significant person) is not a working tool of the psychologist, informal relationships between him and the client are indeed possible. Secondly, there is such a direction as provocative therapy, which involves irony towards the client and even light jabs in order to break his or her habitual patterns of thinking and reacting, and here the line between acceptable and frankly offensive behavior of the therapist becomes very thin. Very often recommended listen to your inner state during therapy. Well it really is.