Many people believe that psychologists are people who do not have problems and difficulties in life, who live unmistakably. But this is a wrong opinion. Psychologists are the same people as everyone else, with the difference that they have professional knowledge and skills that allow them to cope with difficulties and get out of problematic situations with benefit for themselves and other people, as well as benefit from their mistakes, acquiring life experience. But the education of a psychologist is not a guarantee of his professionalism. Many psychologists working in their specialty do not at all know how to cope with their intrapersonal problems, manage their emotions, and also have erased personal boundaries and violate others, without at all feeling the zone of responsibility of themselves and those around them. Theoretical knowledge is one thing, but personal practice is completely different. These are two different polarities. Such psychologists may have theoretical knowledge in various fields, but in practice they convey something completely different by their example. Many of them work with clients, give them certain recommendations, and train them. But any teacher, coach, mentor, in this case a psychologist, should be an example for his clients. That is, teach him what he can do himself, give him knowledge tested by personal experience. Then the psychologist will be a competent specialist, able to help his client get out of a problematic situation and teach the necessary skills. The question arises, what can a psychologist teach and recommend who has no practical skills and personal experience in the issues with which he works, and who has not completed a course of personal psychotherapy? I think you already understand the answer. How not to make a mistake when choosing a psychologist? 1. It is worth paying attention to the cost of psychologist services. It cannot be lower than 1000 rubles. for an hour/one and a half, since a psychologist also needs to live on something, and in addition, improve his qualifications, take various courses, and for 300 rubles. In an hour of consultation, you understand, you won’t get anywhere. Of course, there are no miraculous techniques that cost 10,000 rubles. All your problems will be solved in an hour. The price is not always directly related to the competence of the psychologist, but it is still worth paying attention to it.2. You shouldn’t rely too much on free consultations in government agencies. In the public sector, you can often find psychologists who are unqualified or emotionally “burned out.” Such a psychologist will not be effective as a therapist. Of course, you can find professionals in their field everywhere, and there are such people in government agencies, and they command respect, since their work is quite difficult and energy-consuming. But it is very rare to meet just such a specialist, since most often people who are incompetent or unsure of themselves are willing to work there for a low salary.3. In addition to the above types, you can meet a person with a questionable education, or without one at all. Not a single course like “Psychology in 3 months” will give what people get while studying at a university. But a university degree does not provide complete knowledge about practice, and this requires special advanced training courses and personal psychotherapy. It is also worth noting that there are also “psychologists” of a far from scientific direction, for example, esotericists, astrologers, psychics, etc. Similar things This kind of specialists lure people by offering clients “magic pills” and 100% results in getting rid of problems, and also use unconventional methods such as magic rituals in their activities. Very often, people unenlightened in the field of psychology fall for such tricks, because everyone wants miracles without the use of their own efforts. But alas, this does not happen. Moreover, such “miracle therapy” can seriously harm a person, his emotional and mental state. Remember that in psychotherapy you need to work on your own; the result of therapy depends primarily on the personal efforts of the client himself. Therefore, if you meet such pseudo-psychologists, avoid them. How to identify.