There are many reasons for this, but one very important reason that is easy to ignore is that those who do not do well have fallen into the cognitive misconceptions of counseling and psychotherapy. So what are the cognitive misconceptions? Myth 1: Psychotherapy is to do ideological work Some people have psychological problems, many family members ask doctors to “do ideological work” on these people. They believe that “psychotherapy is to do ideological work”. The reason for this misconception is the lack of understanding of psychotherapy as a treatment method. It is undeniable that both psychotherapy and ideological work are to analyze and find out the crux of the problem, and after talking and communicating, help each other correct the wrong perspective of the problem, raise awareness, analyze and solve the problem, and encourage the seeker to face the reality, make adjustments in emotion, cognition and action, and respond correctly to the reality. However, there are three fundamental differences between psychotherapy and thought work. The first difference is that the target is different: the target of psychotherapy is patients with psychological problems or psychological disorders, while the target of ideological work is psychologically healthy people; the second difference is that the purpose is different: the purpose of psychotherapy is to treat, so that the patient’s symptoms can be reduced or disappeared, while the purpose of ideological work is to educate people to establish a correct world view and understanding; the third difference is that the direction is different: psychotherapy is guided by psychological theory and must be done by people who have been trained in psychology. The third difference is the direction: psychotherapy is guided by psychological theory and must be performed by psychotherapists who are specially trained to treat patients as a profession, so that they can identify all kinds of psychological problems and psychological disorders and adjust the treatment plan according to the patient’s psychological changes and needs. Although the work of the mind also depends on the person, in order to get the best results, but the two still have a fundamental difference, not to be confused, not to replace each other. Myth 2: Psychological treatment is the doctor’s business Undeniably, in general, it is the doctor’s business to determine the treatment plan, and the patient just needs to carry out the medical advice. But psychological problems are not as simple as a cold, headache or fever, as long as the doctor prescribes it and the patient takes the medicine or injection. Because the treatment of physical diseases, the doctor is in the leading position, the patient is in a passive position. The process of psychotherapy, on the other hand, requires the cooperation and efforts of both doctors and patients. The more prominent the counselor is in the treatment, the more obvious the effect will be. For example, in the treatment of stuttering, the doctor only points out the method of correction and provides a “crutch” to facilitate the patient’s “walk”. The patient has to “walk” himself. Therefore, the patient should take ownership and actively participate in the psychological preparation, and not have the misconception that “psychotherapy is entirely the doctor’s business and has nothing to do with me”. Myth 3: Psychological treatment is instant. It is the hope and wish of every patient to get well soon after getting sick. If you have a psychological problem, you hope that it can be solved by one or two sessions of psychotherapy. However, the actual situation is not so simple. Many psychological problems can not be solved by a few psychotherapy sessions, sometimes there is a significant improvement after treatment, but it is not the same as a complete solution to the problem. Because psychological problems often recur and fluctuate, it is unrealistic to try to get a complete solution in a short period of time. Therefore, before the counseling and psychotherapy should be prepared to “fight a long war” psychologically. Myth 4: Psychotherapy does not need to take medication Whenever you are sick, you will inevitably need to take medication, and even injections and surgery. Psychological problems are “heart disease”, heart disease to use “heart medicine” to cure. This “heart medicine” is psychotherapy, just like the “Dream of the Red Chamber” Jia Baoyu misses Lin Daiyu’s “heart disease”, the old ancestors used to marry the “happy” psychotherapy (in fact, this practice is not advisable, the lost love of the person is not the same). This is not advisable and should not be followed blindly by those who have lost their love), so many people mistakenly believe that psychotherapy does not require medication. In reality, this is not the case. The reason is that some symptoms, such as mood disorders, thought disorders, perceptual disorders, etc., relying on psychotherapy alone is half the effort, or even not helpful, if you can work with medication, a two-pronged approach, you will receive twice the effect with half the effort. Myth 5: Psychotherapy and “talk” is no different Undeniably, psychological counseling and psychotherapy is the process of completing the treatment through the mutual delivery of language and communication between the doctor and patient. Most psychological problems require psychotherapy such as catharsis, transference and diversion. The conversation between the doctor and the patient may seem to be uneventful, but in fact there is a psychological mechanism at work. It is important to have the psychological preparation and understanding that “the conversation between doctor and patient is a kind of therapy” before conducting psychological counseling and psychotherapy. Myth 6: Psychotherapy is very easy Many people think that psychotherapy is easy, curious and interesting, like listening to a story. This is not true. Some psychological problems have been around for a long time, and some have formed some subconscious psychological variants and conditioned reflexes. To eliminate this state, we need to overcome the difficulties and overcome the “ego”. For example, when OCD patients do systematic desensitization behavior modification, every drop of progress, have to go through the unimaginable pain. At this point, will and perseverance play a decisive role. In a sense, the doctor who treats this disease is the patient himself. Therefore, before psychological counseling and psychotherapy, it is necessary to have the psychological preparation of “conquering oneself”. Only by being fully prepared psychologically and stepping out of the “misconceptions” can psychological counseling and psychotherapy achieve the desired results.