Is it really useful to see a psychiatrist?

Feeling that you have psychological problems and often have nightmares, you want to know if the psychologist can really carry out psychological counseling and help yourself out, right?

In fact, the public's impression of "psychologists" mostly stays in movies or TV series, and the "psychologists" in the film.

First, let's take a look at what a "psychiatrist" is.

The psychiatrist is a Western term, but also a popular name in the Chinese cultural context, it is a psychological counselor in the European and American category plus a psychiatrist who mainly treats through drugs. Psychologists are "doctors", and only in hospitals can there be "psychologists".

"Top three hospitals" and psychiatric hospitals will have psychological outpatient clinics, the outpatient doctors in which can be understood as "psychologists", their meeting time is relatively short, usually taking psychological assessment diagnosis and talks, and treating them in the form of Western medicine or Traditional Chinese medicine. It can be aimed at people who are mentally unhealthy, or it can be targeted at people with psychological abnormalities.

In addition, in the psychiatry department of many hospitals, the doctors in it will also receive people with psychological abnormalities, mainly prescribing medication.

Because the outpatient time is relatively short, the "psychologist" in the hospital does not have much time to carry out "psychological counseling", usually after diagnosis, drugs and instruments are treated, which is relatively simple and direct, and may make the "patient" feel warm enough.

Psychological counselors are professionals who use the professional knowledge of psychology and related disciplines, follow the principles of psychology, and help the helpers to solve psychological problems through the techniques and methods of psychological counseling.

Psychological counselors are faced with people with normal psychology, including people who do health psychological counseling and developmental psychological counseling, who can face both mentally unhealthy people and people with mental health and hope for further self-development. Psychological counselors do not prescribe medicine. People with psychological abnormalities are not the scope of reception of psychological counselors.

The purpose of psychological counseling is to improve the psychological quality of individuals and make people live a healthy, pleasant and meaningful life.

Therefore, the psychologist and the counselor are two different concepts. The one who does more psychological counseling is the "psychological counselor".

It can be said that psychologists and psychological counselors are two identities that serve different institutions, have different roles, and play different roles.

Then, from your description, it can be found that the "psychologist" you are talking about for psychological counseling actually refers to a psychological counselor. And your question, in fact, is it: Is psychological counseling useful?

Whether psychological counseling is useful or not, I think, is related to the following factors.

1. The visitor factor.

The success of psychological counseling is an important factor for the client. If the client has a strong desire to change, it is easier to succeed. Because counseling is not about the counselor changing you, it's about the counselor leading you to action, about changing yourself. Your own motivation is the most important.

In addition, if the client's impedance is relatively small, he is more willing to cooperate with the psychological counselor, has stronger understanding ability, and is more willing to act, which is more likely to succeed.

2. The factor of consultant

Professional, competent counselors who match the counselor are more useful to the client.

If the counselor is not professional enough, or if his own experience is very similar to the client's, it is easy to fall into the client's emotions, which requires a replacement counselor.

3. The time factor

If you just want to rely on a psychological consultation to solve the problem, this is more difficult.

Depending on the complexity of the problem and the client's situation, counseling can be divided into short-, medium- and long-haul consultations.

Whether psychological counseling can play an effect is also related to time, if it does not reach the required number of times, it may not completely solve psychological problems.

For your own situation, you need to make a psychological diagnosis first, and then see what means to take for treatment, because if there is already a neurosis, relying only on "psychological counseling" may not be able to completely solve the problem.

That's my opinion, I hope it helps you.