The question of who a psychologist is and what he does, in my opinion, is very relevant. Unfortunately, in our country the work of a psychologist is not always respected and is treated with caution at best. In addition, many people are frightened by any word containing the combination of letters “crazy”. Associations are born: if a person goes to see a psychologist, it means he definitely has “problems with his head.” Even people who are in the process of personal therapy and receive real benefits as a result of this therapy try not to advertise their work with a psychologist or psychotherapist. And often not in vain - sometimes even the closest people can look disapprovingly at your choice of striving for happiness. In my opinion, the problem is that our people are poorly educated in this area. And to begin with, I would like to differentiate such concepts as psychiatrist, psychotherapist and psychologist. A psychiatrist is a doctor (that is, a specialist with a higher medical education) who treats severe mental disorders (psychopathy, schizophrenia, etc.), using mainly pharmacological agents. A psychotherapist is a doctor who has additional training in psychology and uses both psychological and pharmacological means in his work. A psychologist is a specialist with a higher psychological education. As a therapeutic agent, he uses only psychological methods, such as observation, conversation, questioning, testing and others. The psychologist does not make diagnoses or prescribe pills. The psychologist's clients are ordinary people who in their daily lives are faced with any psychological difficulties and problems at work, in the family, in relationships with others, who experience a feeling of doom, impasse, etc. As a rule, these people have already tried something did themselves to solve their problem, but found that they could not cope alone. A psychologist will not give you advice, since no one but you knows how best to act in the situation that happened to you. It will help you more accurately formulate your problem and rely on your own internal resources. An accurate definition of a problem allows you to understand its causes, and sometimes suggests ways to resolve it. In addition, sometimes just talking about the problem brings relief to a person and allows him to see it in a completely new way, and often understand that the problem lies in something completely different. For example, a girl at the age of thirty comes to a psychologist because she is still unmarried, which greatly worries her. The psychologist is not a marriage agency and will not find her a groom, but he can help her understand why her relationships with men do not work out. Sometimes the reason for turning to a psychologist is the inability to discuss a specific problem for some reason with someone else. For example, a fifty-year-old man was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He is “shocked” by the information received, which he cannot share with his relatives and friends, but he is also not able to endure this painful feeling of fear of approaching death alone. It is simply vital for him to share this fear with someone. And it is the psychologist who is the person who is able to listen without judgment and share with you the difficult feelings that weigh on you. The task of a professional psychologist is to, through the mechanism of trust, help a person understand what is happening in his life space, see his problem from different sides and choose the way to resolve it. Clients often ask the question: “How long will it take to solve the problem.” This question cannot be answered unambiguously. Some people get their answers in one meeting and that’s enough for them. Some people need 15 or 50 meetings. And someone's work lasts for years. It all depends on what problem you have, what you expect from therapy and what result you want to get. I would like to raise another important question: “How to choose a psychologist?” In psychology and psychotherapy.