Little by little in our reality, turning to a psychologist or psychotherapist is becoming the norm, which is good news. But, unfortunately, the activities of psychologists are not yet licensed in the Russian Federation. In addition to well-educated specialists, specialists with experience and love for their work, you can also encounter representatives of unscientific views, and sometimes outright charlatans. There are probably gigabytes of articles like this on the Internet, and the topic is already seemingly hackneyed? But, nevertheless, I periodically hear stories from my clients about unsuccessful experiences in seeking psychological help, stories from colleagues, friends, and sometimes these are sad stories. For my part, I would give the following recommendations, perhaps they can be useful to you. What surprises you most. When clients come to me on recommendations from friends or former clients, almost none of them ask to see educational documents, they take my word for it. Be sure to check the specialist’s education. A professional should not refuse to show his diplomas and certificates (or copies thereof). And yes, look what is written there after all 😊 It’s good if a specialist with a higher specialized education undergoes advanced training. When you describe the problem you have addressed, ask the question: does the specialist have experience working with such requests? Or is his request a request to work with another specialist? Are you asking for paid help to solve your problems? Therefore, still ask this delicate question: has the specialist undergone personal therapy? A psychologist should help you solve your problems, and not catch triggers in your story and get stuck in your own unresolved problems. You are embarrassed, forgot to ask at the first consultation, ask later, especially if you feel that the work is going very strangely. A good indicator is if a specialist undergoes supervision, intervision - consults with other specialists on working with their clients (while maintaining confidentiality) .Number of sessions to resolve the request. Nobody can say for sure. But, after diagnosis and understanding of what we are dealing with, or after referral from a psychiatrist, knowing the patient’s diagnosis, the specialist can roughly guide the number of meetings (from... to...). This can be either a one-time consultation (if we are talking about psychoeducation, for example), or short-, medium- or long-term therapy. The specialist must be able to briefly and clearly explain in what direction he is working. Clarify whether this direction is evidence-based, accepted by the scientific community. A contract for work, written or oral, must be concluded. It describes what the specialist is responsible for in the work, what the client is responsible for, the frequency and duration of meetings, payment, etc. The contract can be concluded at the first session, or maybe a little later. Your request must be discussed point by point. What problem did you come up with and what do you want to get as a result of the work? You describe in your own words, and the specialist will formulate your request in psychological terms. Counseling and therapy should not turn into endless conversations about everything. Diagnostics at the beginning of work. The specialist will need to understand what state you are in, your emotional and personal characteristics; sometimes it is necessary to check the state of cognitive functions (memory, attention, thinking) in order to understand whether consultation with another specialist is required. Your feelings, emotions during the work. Yes, as you work, your condition will change, and it is normal that from time to time you will notice a deterioration in your condition, and the specialist can warn you about this in advance. You may feel sad or disappointed with yourself or someone, etc., but, nevertheless, the general trend should be for improvement. If you feel that you are getting worse and worse, then this is a reason to at least clarify what is happening with a specialist or look for another specialist. A psychologist should help you.