Deciding to work with a psychologist is difficult, and choosing “your own” is even more difficult. For me, personal therapy is a lifelong process, as for a practicing psychologist, and I think that I am a difficult client 🙃I am familiar with the question of choosing whom to work with, and I well understand the doubts and fears of those who are looking for a psychologist for themselves. I have worked with several specialists over the past years, with some for several sessions, with others for several years. For me, working with a psychologist has a good chance of being effective if there are matches at the levels:➡️Professional: when a specialist has mastery, regardless of directions and specific methods of work. Of course, I have my own preferences: Transactional Analysis, EMDR (great for working with trauma), systemic therapy. Mastery of techniques and methods is important; without this, you will not be able to move beyond a certain point in your work. This is actually why my colleagues and I are involved in non-stop training + supervision➡️Personal: when there is contact at the person-to-person level. It is a matter of coincidence just like in any other significant relationship: mine/not mine. Consonance in style, in energy, in values ​​- all this works for the speedy emergence of what is called a “working alliance”.➡️Scenario: the client has his own Life Script, which keeps him/her in outdated early decisions about himself, others and the world, leads the client along the same paths. The psychologist also has his own Scenario, which affects all areas of life, including working with clients. Personal therapy is needed by a psychologist in order to get out, as far as possible, from his Script, or at least to clearly understand and “tame” it, before helping his clients with the same thing. It’s difficult to go where you haven’t been yet. It’s important to know about formal signs when choosing a psychologist and work ethics in order to protect yourself from an unpleasant and potentially traumatic experience. Did the psychologist reveal confidential information about you? Does the psychologist offer meetings between sessions? Does the psychologist call and write to you between sessions? Does the psychologist accuse you of something? Does the psychologist say that you are lying and that there is something wrong with you at all? The psychologist allows sexual relations with you Are you? Does the psychologist set conditions for you in the form of ultimatums? Does the psychologist stop working with you one day without final sessions, accusing you of being a “bad client”? It may be difficult to imagine, but all these questions are taken from the real experiences of people who have faced with a violation of professional ethics on the part of psychologists🤯. It hurts, it’s a strong retraumatization, and it especially scares me when it comes to specialists with education and status. Of course, we all make mistakes, including psychologists. It's an inevitable part of life and work. The situation is dangerous when these mistakes are not recognized, which means they are repeated and worsened. The basic ethical principles in the work of a psychologist, it would seem, are known to everyone, but nevertheless, similar stories happen, which means the topic is alive and does not lose its relevance. There is protection in the West at the legislative level, the mechanism is debugged and working. Unfortunately, our ethical protection is in its infancy, so it is especially important for clients to know the basic ethical principles so as not to miss such moments, so that the red light comes on when something “strange” begins to happen. Each community has its own code of ethics, for example, in the field of Transactional Analysis there is a basic code of the European TA Association, on the basis of which the ethical code of the St. Petersburg TA Organization operates (here you can get acquainted with it: https://sitanews.ru/o-sota/eticheskij-kodeks-sota.) I want to talk about the ideological basis of the work of a psychologist, which is based on: - The principle of respect for the dignity of all people - The I-OK - You-OK position - Recognition of the client’s strength and his ability to think and change I sincerely wish those who are looking to find their psychologist 👍🏻 Share how you made the decision to work with a psychologist? If you are searching/doubting what is most important for you?