It is no secret that the psychoeducation of the population in Russia is at a relatively low level. Most people associate the very word “psyche” with something shameful and unhealthy, and the adjective “mental” is even perceived as some kind of diagnosis. For this reason, as well as because of the stereotypes generated by popular cinema and unqualified specialists, many are embarrassed to seek psychological help: “Why do I need a psychologist? I’m not crazy!”, “I’ll figure it out myself, I’m normal!”, “Normal people don’t need psychologists,” etc. But how true are these judgments? And does the presence of psychological problems make a person a “psycho”? This article is intended to help people who do not have a psychological education to get an idea of ​​​​what a “mental norm” is; what questions can (or should) be addressed to a psychologist; what is the difference between a psychologist and a psychotherapist. So, who is a psychologist, what does he do and with whom does he work? Psychologist is a specialist with a higher psychological education who works with clinically healthy people, providing psychological services focused on personal growth and development (coaching, training, psychological counseling), correction of acquired deficiencies in behavior and thinking that do not have an organic basis (psychological counseling, psychocorrection ). Does not make diagnoses and does not have the right to prescribe medication. If a person is clinically healthy, does that mean he is “normal”? Why does he need a psychologist? To answer this question, we should consider the very concept of mental norm. It is logical to assume that the mental norm is the complete absence of any pathologies and mental disorders, they say, if a person is “normal”, then he should not have any problems. In fact, everything is somewhat more complicated: the absolute norm is a statistical concept that does not exist in nature, which was invented to assess the severity of psychopathological conditions. This means that mental health and the presence of psychological difficulties are not mutually exclusive concepts. Simply put: mentally healthy people, to a certain extent, may also experience certain difficulties in the mental sphere, and this is completely normal. For a better understanding, let’s consider the main types of psychological problems that a person has to face. N.D. Linde identifies the following psychological states (in order of increasing problems): 1) Supernorm - a very productive state with a high level of awareness. Such people do not have any pronounced problems, and they come mainly on issues related to self-realization and self-actualization (consulting, coaching). Unfortunately, this condition is much less common than we would like. 2) Normal - one might say , "golden mean". In addition to issues of self-realization, such people address issues related to difficulties in making important decisions, planning time, setting life priorities, mutual understanding with loved ones, etc. (consulting, training). As you can see, mentally healthy people can also experience difficulties. Their peculiarity lies in the ability to: a) Accept their presence; b) Do not aggravate their course; c) Seek help without self-condemnation and fear of judgment from others. 3) Behavioral maladjustment is a condition in which a person feels unable to “find his place” in society, or, having found it, does not feel happy. This may be due to innate character traits, but often there is some kind of internal conflict associated with an insufficient level of awareness and acceptance of one’s individual characteristics (counseling). In any society there are socially approved and socially disapproved personal characteristics. Does the presence of the latter make a person abnormal? No, but often the owners of such qualities suffer either from the disapproval of others, or from internal tension born of unfulfilled needs. Allow these.