As psychological counseling and psychotherapy is a new industry in China, many people do not know much about how to see a psychologist, and there are even many misconceptions, for this reason we need to do some understanding of some of the rules of seeing a psychologist.
Psychological consultation process.
Consultation about psychological counseling: We have people who are specifically responsible for reception, you can call or come to the clinic to understand our basic situation. If it is about the content of the counseling scope then you need to enter the formal counseling process.
Appointment: If you decide to have a counseling session, please contact us by phone 1-2 days in advance (2-3 days in advance on weekends) to make an appointment. Visitors should note that you must arrive at the clinic punctually at the appointed time to avoid delaying the next person doing the counseling, and please call us in time to inform us of any special circumstances.
Fee setting: Counseling is charged by time (50 minutes each time), outpatient counseling is paid after each counseling done, other counseling (such as telephone counseling, email counseling, etc.) requires payment in advance, and different levels of fees are charged according to the level of each counselor.
Calculation of time for the first consultation: Some seekers are prone to misunderstand the calculation of time for the first consultation, thinking that they should wait until they have finished talking about their own situation or that of their family members before formally calculating the consultation time. In fact, the most important thing in counseling is not what the psychologist says to the client, but rather the psychologist’s attentive listening and professional empathy to the client, in which listening and speaking cannot be separated.
The number of sessions required varies according to the nature of the problem. General problems can be solved in 15-20 sessions, but there is a possibility that the problem can be solved successfully in a few sessions, while more serious psychological disorders or mental illnesses can take six months or even longer.
Professional ethics related to psychological counselors
1.A counselor cannot discriminate against a helper because of his or her gender, age, occupation, ethnicity, nationality, religious beliefs, values and any other factors.
2.The counselor will let the helper understand the nature and characteristics of the counseling work, the possible limitations of this work, and the rights and obligations of the helper himself before the counseling relationship is established.
3. the counseling, when working with the helper, will discuss and agree with the helper on the focus of the work and, if necessary (such as the use of certain methods), will reach a written agreement with the helper.
4. No relationship outside of counseling shall be created and established between the counselor and the helper. Try to avoid dual relationships (counselors do not establish counseling relationships with acquaintances, relatives, friends and colleagues), let alone use the helper’s trust in the counselor for personal gain, especially not to have indecent words or actions towards the opposite sex.
5.When the counselor thinks that he/she is not suitable for counseling a certain client, he/she will give a clear explanation to the client and should introduce him/her to another suitable counselor or physician in a responsible attitude towards the client.
6. The counselor always strictly observes the principle of confidentiality, as follows.
① it is the responsibility of the counselor to explain to the person seeking help the principle of confidentiality of the counseling worker and the limits in applying this principle
② In the psychological counseling work, once the helper is found to have endangered himself or herself or others, he or she must take the necessary measures to prevent accidents (if necessary, the relevant department or family should be notified). or consultation with other counselors, but should limit the exposure of information about confidentiality to a minimum.
③ Information related to counseling work, including case records, test data, correspondence, audio and video recordings and other consultations, is professional information and shall be kept in strict confidentiality and shall not be included in other materials.
④ The counselor may make audio and video recordings of the counseling process only with the consent of the person seeking help. When discussing cases for professional reasons or using cases for teaching, scientific research, writing, etc., information that may identify the client should be omitted.
Issues related to obtaining better counseling results
(a) To save you money and time, before seeing a psychologist, you must understand why you are going? What is the problem to be solved? How can you articulate it more clearly? Where do you start?
Don’t worry if the psychiatrist understands you, he will prompt you to focus on what to say when he feels there are unclear pieces. You don’t have to beat around the bush, a real therapist will find out what you are really here for, so it is best to be straightforward in your contact with the therapist and say what you have to say and what you need to say.
You don’t have to worry about what you’re saying is not good for you. A psychiatrist has the ethics and guidelines of a psychiatrist, and keeping professional secrets is a mandatory part of his curriculum.
The important thing to remember is that a psychiatrist is only an expert in helping you solve your psychological problems, he is not your life counselor, and he cannot replace your suffering, nor can he make decisions for you or interfere with your private life.
(2) Psychology and psychiatry are similar in many areas, and in some areas even blurred, but psychology and psychiatry have their own focus in the way they deal with patients, the means, academic theory, and the use of drugs. Therefore, do not think that going into a psychological clinic is the same as going into a psychiatric clinic, it does not mean that you have a problem in psychiatry.
You don’t have to worry about how your visit to a psychiatrist will affect your reputation or your job, and you don’t have to worry that the psychiatrist will treat you as a psychiatric patient. In fact, when you go to a psychiatrist, the most important thing you need to know is: your ideology is already developing with society, and you are already paying attention to your mental health DDD that is a real sense of health!
(C) the practical assignments assigned by the psychologist should be carefully fulfilled, any psychological problems must rely on the person’s own efforts to have the possibility of obtaining a solution, immersed in the mud pit of the original problem or lying in bed, is never able to change themselves. Psychological problems cannot be expected to be solved in 1-2 counseling sessions, and usually require adherence to a certain course of treatment to have a significant effect. When psychological resistance or empathic reactions occur during the consultation process, it is more important to persist in treatment, which is an indication that overcoming psychological barriers is at a critical moment of attack.