Essential Qualities Of A Good Psychologist

A good psychologist must have certain basic qualities and skills wherever he or she specializes. Psychology is a science that studies individuals and their behavior and experiences. You will probably find that this is a very broad field that requires special training.

According to medical ethics, the profession of psychologist must always be respectful, responsible, honest, sincere, careful and competent. The psychologist must also guarantee that the treatments are objective and scientific. But being a good psychologist is more than just having those qualities.

Empathy

It is important for the psychologist to know how to put oneself in the shoes of patients. He or she must have mental methods and aids to understand the patient’s fears, needs, and the details of the situation. Only when he has reached this level of understanding can he handle the case and help the patient.

Many people seem to think that empathy is some kind of mystical trait. But psychologists have realized that the human mind is so deep that they can reshape their thoughts about their patients.

This means that they are able to understand any other way of thinking, no matter how much it differs from their own. It helps them keep other people’s ideas as important as they think they are.

Openness

A good psychologist also recognizes that he or she has no prejudices, stereotypes, or prejudices and beliefs. It means that the psychologist must be open to new ideas, things that are different or foreign to him.

This feature is awesome for anyone who lives their life more than full, but it is absolutely essential for psychologists. The psychologist never knows who will pop into his office. So he should always be open in knowing the patient to learn: about his basic essence, culture, interests and ideas.

To reach this level of tolerance, the psychologist must have escaped his comfort zone before then. It’s a place where you feel protected by familiar things. So it’s important to question, detect, and dig deeper into things. The psychologist must also accept that all the things around him can be real sources of inspiration.

Safety

This has many similarities with transparency. Safety means that a good psychologist is confident in himself and his professional abilities. If the psychologist does not seem confident, it is difficult for him to give that feeling to the patient who comes to him to ask for help.

That doesn’t mean a psychologist has to be pretentious, too direct, or completely insensitive. It means that he or she must explain in a clear, consistent, and confident manner the steps that the patient should take. Things that harm patients include hesitation, ambiguity, sending confusing messages, or treating them as inferior.

Self-examination

To be truly open, a good psychologist needs to do important self-examination. It means taking care of yourself and analyzing and understanding yourself.  Only by getting to know himself better will he be able to control his states of mind.

Availability

This quality is something between comfort and understanding. It is important that the patient feels comfortable in the company of a psychologist. Thus, he is able to tell the psychologist about his situation, problems, intentions, and deepest secrets.

Another related trait is empathy, which was first on the list. Together, these two things create accessibility. It is something that makes it easier for the patient to report their problems and makes it natural.

Analytical abilities

The psychologist needs to know how to interpret what the patient is telling him or her if he or she wants to take action. Since a psychologist can’t just interrupt a conversation, he or she needs to know how to pick up really important things. He needs to stick to what is important and know what to leave out.

This ability also helps to better apply meditation techniques and ensures the success of therapy. It is also an important part of making a treatment plan and evaluating results.

Good communication skills

This may be one of the biggest challenges for a psychologist in his or her daily work. That’s even more true when the psychologist isn’t very experienced. It is not always easy to know how to bring all the theoretical information to the right cases.

For that reason, it is absolutely essential to master certain communication and social skills if a psychologist wants to be good. Improving this skill and the ability to talk to people are fundamental qualities.

For example, it is good to know how to come up with questions during a session or to address something that may be the main trigger for an illness or neurosis. The psychologist must also be able to organize the use of time well in the sessions and ensure that he uses all the minutes effectively.

Listening skills

If a psychologist is able to create a relaxed environment for the office, this will already be half realized. If he can create a sense of intimacy, the patient will be able to converse with him calmly and honestly. Listening skills mean that the psychologist always has a participatory and open attitude and that he or she shows an interest in what the patient is saying.

In other words, the psychologist must be a good listener and show the patient that he or she is. So it is a good idea not to interrupt the patient. Let him speak freely. Thus, he is able to answer his own questions once he has said them out loud.

It is also very informative to leave room for silence. The psychologist should monitor how the patient experiences these breaks. His hand movement, posture, expression: how does he feel in these situations? It all matters.

As you can see, being a good psychologist doesn’t just mean having certain skills. It also means that he knows how to use them.