Psychology is the science of human behavior. A person who has a good understanding of human behavior and interactions is called a psychologist. The world is progressing and half of the population is facing depression and other mental issues. People like architects, engineers, doctors, leaders, teachers, etc. are under the constant pressure of guiding the nation forward and facing health issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, etc.  The whole stress and anxiety often create a tough situation for people and they are left with no option but to take depression and anxiety counseling. Not everyone can cope with revolving scenarios so quickly and may end up falling into the trap of depression or loneliness. Here, the study of psychology steps in as a guiding light in our lives. Now in this article we will discuss about who a psychologist is and  questions to ask a therapist?

Who is a Psychologist?

Do you know who is a psychologist or what questions to ask a psychologist? People may confuse psychologists with psychiatrists, even though they are poles apart. Former deals and plays with mind and behavior through therapy while later does the same job through medication. Only an extremely empathetic person can pursue this job. This job may seem to be a very light-hearted profession, but no one ever cares to look at what goes behind being a good psychologist. The psychologists are trained in such a way that as soon as the patient enters the room, they can sense what is exactly going on in his/her mind. They have very good observant qualities. They observe mainly your gait, the way you talk, the way you reflect your thoughts on sensitive occasions.

Beware, you can easily get caught if you are lying, cause its human nature to become super conscious while lying. It can trigger the fight and flight hormones in our systems and an expert eye can sense this immediately. Even doctors are considered to be great psychologists. Do you know why? They can immediately tell whether a patient is lying about his/her condition or whether he/she is suffering from some ailment. Psychologists are great experts in face-reading, can judge your activities at one go, and even determine your underlying potential. They can adopt several methods in course of action. Sometimes, they can be too hard or too friendly depending on the sensitivity of the case they are dealing with. They can identify if you are malingering or facing any problem. There are innumerable cases when medical professionals are not able to identify real problems or do the correct diagnosis as there is no disease in reality. Psychologists can identify through clever means without much hassle.

When Do You Seek The Help of a Psychologist?

1. Ignorant Attitude of People

Many people are ignorant about their health problems, be it ailment of body or mind. Still in the 20th century, caring about mental health is considered futile. But let us unite together to make the issue of mental health the most important issue as it really needs to be highlighted. The ignorant attitude of people is also a major sign and cause of personality disorder and causes issues related to mental health as well.

2. Traumatic Experiences

When people suffer from any underlying trauma caused due to the death of a relative or loved ones, or maybe trauma caused due to loss of property or assets, they lose their sense of attachment to this world.

3. Feeling of Loneliness

If you ever get this feeling of detachment, then please consult another person of authority who trusts you and will never take you for granted. But, many people feel it better to consult a professional. Here is where the role of a psychologist treatment gains an upper hand.

4. Signs of Danger

Simple symptoms like headache, irritation, digestive problems, or even extensive itching may indicate that you suffer from anxiety. Before it takes any greater form, do consult a psychologist. They see such cases almost every day and know the way out of the dungeons of despair and depression.

5. Need of Social Beings

Humans are social beings and in search of a good relationship, we end up harming our mental health if our counterpart is not sensible enough. Many times, you may feel that your career has come to a full stop and there is no way out. You constantly juggle between work and mental health. For at least once, let your mental health win.

Popular Questions to Ask a Psychologist - Psychologist Questions

Here are some of the most asked questions to ask psychologist and some of the questions you should ask when you visit your counselor or psychologist. 

1. Can Psychologists Read People's Minds?

One of the most common questions that occur in people's minds is can psychologists meet people's minds. Since they were able to help people and predict their behavior, many people think that psychologists can look through one's mind. But this is not true. Psychologists cannot look through one's mind and read it. No one can read what the other person is going to do next. They just hear about your problems and understand them to help you to find the solution. Experienced psychologists can predict your thoughts after listening to your situation and witnessing your behavior. 

2. Confidentially of The Therapy Sessions?

People ask questions about the privacy of the therapy and things ponder in the mind like whether the counselor is going to discuss their situation with someone else or not? Whether they will speak about it to family or friends or not? According to the laws, no counselor or psychologist can leak the conversations of the session to anyone else. Yes if the patient has suicidal thoughts of harming himself or others then in that case the counselor tells the family member to take care of it. Moreover, if it is family therapy or couple therapy then by taking consent the counselor speaks to the other partner now or member.

3. Can Counseling Treat You in Just a Few Days? Is it a Quick Session?

Counseling is never a quick session. Many people think that by taking counseling they can recover in just one or two sessions. But this is not true, counseling is a process in which you analyze your situation, understand them and then try to find a solution. Counseling takes time and requires the patient and therapist to have patience. There are times when you are just seeking a solution and a therapist helps you but there are cases when counseling sessions can take months. It depends on your issue and situation.

4. Can Counseling Help Me Recover?

Yes, counseling can surely help you recover. Counseling is a process in which you meet yourself and face your situation. In counseling, with the help of guidance, you move towards self-discovery and find solutions to your issues. Counseling may take time but it will surely help you recover and treat your issue from the roots. Mental illness issues like depression, anxiety attacks, certain disorders, unhappy lifestyles, broken relationships, etc all can be treated with the help of counseling. Your therapist may ask you to take some medicines or observe yourself to help you beat your problems. So, yes it helps you.

5. How Are You Going to Treat Me? What Will be Your Approach?

This is another very common psychologist questions asked to a psychologist by their patients. It is obvious that when you are approaching a psychologist or a psychologist is approved, the client has the right to ask about the treatment procedure and know it thoroughly. You must ask them how to fight with negativity, depending on different psychologists how they are going to treat an issue. While some psychologists can ask you to observe yourself, others may ask you to perform some homework activities or even directly start the sessions and talk to you or give you therapy. It also depends on the issue you are facing.

6. What is The Nature of The Therapy Session And How Long Will It Go On?

This is another common and important question that is asked by a psychologist. Knowing the nature of therapy sessions and getting an idea of how long they can go will let you have a look at the process and how much time you need to give yourself. It also depends on the psychologist treatment and the issue you are facing that what the nature of the therapy will be and how long it can go. While some psychologists are supportive others may be direct in their treatment. Also, you should know that the therapy session goes long as it takes time to overcome anything.

7. When Will I Witness Improvements in Myself?

Witnessing improvements in any counseling session is not early. It requires patience and hopes to witness improvements. This is another famous psychologist questions that is asked to a counselor very frequently. It cannot be predicted when you will be able to move towards the path of improvement but once you start your counseling session and follow the guidelines of your psychologist you will witness that you can cope with your issues and think through them. It is normally after your psychologist has completely understood your issue and you both start to work towards it. When this happens cannot be determined but it surely happens.

8. How to Contact You When There is An Emergency?

This is one of the questions that you must ask your psychologist when you first meet them. Knowing whether your psychologist will be available or not becomes a very important factor especially when you are in an emergency. You should ask a psychologist whether you can contact them personally or not when you need them. Some psychologists agree with this but some psychologists won't. Instead, they can give you their clinical number where you contact and you will be able to be in touch with them or some other person who can help you out in case of emergency.

9. Who Will Lead The Sessions? Will You Plan Sessions or Will Discuss Them With Me?

This is another common question a psychologist encounters while dealing with patients. You can even ask this question to a psychologist so that you have a clear understanding of how your sessions will proceed. This means you're asking whether psychologists will themselves plan the entire session or will also seek your opinion in making the session plan. While some psychologists make their session plan some discuss with their clients and decide about the sessions and their content. Both the processes have their positive side and it is better that you ask about it.

Conclusion

There are a lot of questions to ask a psychologist, here we have discussed some so that you are aware of each and every step before seeing a psychologist. The world will keep progressing and the need to address the well-being of the mind will also increase in years to come. As long as, there are professionals who can handle these issues with utmost care and support us, there is no danger to humanity. Psychologists hold the power to open up the minds of people suffering from any kind of trauma to fun and enthusiasm. They hold the power to bring a person back to their senses and help them align with ongoing activities in the live world. They help you to see your self-worth. Most importantly they let this realization sink into your mind, body, and soul on its own and never force it like a pill or medicine. Their goal is not to cure the symptoms but the root cause of your suffering.

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