Words have a magical power. They bring either the greatest happiness or the deepest despair.  – Sigmund Freud

WHAT İS PSYCHOTHERAPY AND WHO İS PSYCHOLOGİST?

Psychotherapy is the process of safely exploring your feelings, thoughts, beliefs, and personal life about yourself and others, in the company of trained mental health professionals. It is speech therapy with a psychologist. Psychotherapy aims to give you insight into your difficulties or troubles, increase your motivation to bring about changes in your thinking and behavior, and help you find appropriate ways to make those changes. Sometimes it is a way to guide you to increase your perspectives in your daily life.

WHY DON’T WE GO TO THE PSYCHOLOGIST?

Often we can hear people say, ‘I don’t feel well, but I don’t want to go to the psychologist and they reject psychotherapy for fundamental reasons even though they need it. What are these reasons and let’s give an explanation of these reasons.

‘‘I have a lot of people around me to talk to’’

Sharing your problems with your friends or relatives is very valuable and will help up to a point, but there is a big difference between those around you and your psychotherapist. The biggest difference is that unlike, your friends, psychotherapists, instead of supporting you, have received training to find the starting point of problems by offering an objective point of view, to produce solutions, to be a professional listener, and they work for you to get to know your inner world and gain awareness. They enable you to realize what the source of your problems is and to find a solution.

‘’I do not have time’’

If you have a problem that you can’t solve on your own, or if your social life is affected because you feel bad and you can’t find motivation, it can cost you more time than you spend in therapy. Although you cannot observe the time period you lost in your life, you may notice a decrease in your quality of life.

‘’I went to a psychotherapist before and it didn’t work’’

One of the most important unknown details about psychotherapy is that there are actually many psychotherapy methods. Each therapist works with their own school and can apply different treatment methods to different clients according to their psychopathology. The fact that you have encountered a therapist who is not suitable for you does not mean that no psychotherapy method can be beneficial for you. The important thing is to find the right method and compatible therapist for you.

‘’I don’t want to share my secrets with a stranger’’

Most therapists are both trained and skilled at making you feel comfortable and listening to you without judgment. When you start working with a therapist and you don’t feel comfortable even after a few sessions, you can talk openly with your therapist about your concerns. If you cannot reach a solution despite talking, it is your greatest right to seek a different therapist and no therapist will show a negative approach to this situation. After all, therapy is both a professional and personal relationship, and the relationship you build with your psychologist is an important factor in treatment. In addition, everything spoken during the seance will not be shared with anyone unless you are likely to harm yourself or someone else. This is one of the strictest ethical rules of therapists. Many therapists make a written agreement prior to psychotherapy that this confidentiality will be maintained.

‘’Only mad people go to a psychologist’’

The vast majority of people who receive psychological support and meet with a psychologist do not pose a threat to themselves or others. They are not violent, nor do they show personality traits that can be considered “weird”. Such negative social labels are completely unrealistic, and not feeling well psychologically or having a psychological disorder is just as coincidental and possible as having a physiological disorder.

Personal additions can be made to this list, and such misconceptions or prejudices can act as a barrier for people who have difficulty coping with problems, who are not feeling well, and who need psychological support. According to researchers, it has been seen that expert psychologist therapy processes are effective in individuals at almost 85 percent rate. Whatever the problem is, there is always more than one solution, but sometimes a little help is needed, and sometimes refusing support can make you more tired than going to therapy.

WHO SHOULD GO TO A PSYCHOLOGİST AND WHEN SHOULD WE GO TO A PSYCHOLOGİST?

There is no list of symptoms required to go to a psychologist. If the person feels different from the mood that is defined as normal, when he is unhappy for a long time, when he is restless, when he is uncomfortable with being angry, when he feels incomplete or lonely, etc. receives psychological support. Sometimes we can get support after certain breaking points in our lives. Sometimes, even if the person feels good, they may go to a psychologist just to get a different perspective. You can also choose to go to a psychologist to take some time for yourself, such as doing sports, dealing with art, or taking up a hobby. In other words, everyone can receive psychological support throughout their life or in some part of their life.

PSYCHOLOGİST OR PSYCHİATRİST?

Both areas of specialization are related to mental health and often work together. The difference is that psychiatrists have medical training and write prescriptions when medication is required. If drug treatment is not required, psychologists provide you with the solution of the problem with different psychotherapy methods but don’t worry, whichever you go to, experts in both fields will direct you to a psychologist or psychiatrist when necessary. In some cases, effective problem solving can be achieved with both medication and psychotherapy.

Elif Akdoğan

Sources:

Ozcan S.(2018).İnsanlar Neden Psikoterapiye Gitmek İstemez?.Bursa Hayat. https://www.bursahayat.com.tr/yazarlar/selin-ozcan-47/insanlar-neden-psikoterapiye-gitmek-istemez-1958.19.06.2023(2022).Psikoterapi Nedir?.Madalyon Psikiyatri Merkezi. https://madalyonklinik.com/gundem/psikoterapi-nedir/.19.06.2023