A good therapeutic process depends on the knowledge of the psychotherapist and the use of the concrete and necessary techniques for the intervention, but also it is essential to have certain therapeutic skills, like having empathy, listening skills, and mental flexibility. Do you want to know what the 12 essential requirements to be a good psychologist? In this Psychology-Online article, you will discover what are the basic skills to be a good therapist and achieve success in therapy.
A positive relationship between therapist and client it is, in addition to a requirement to be a good psychotherapist, a predictor of therapy success. The more positive the relationship, the more open the client will be to explore her problems and actively collaborate in the change process. Both should experience a feeling of team creating a positive emotional bond and an agreement towards obtaining the therapeutic goals.
It is important to have an asymmetric relationship, the center is the customer and their needs
You want to know how to be a good psychologist? Next, we offer you a list of the social skills and requirements to be a good psychotherapist:
1. Sincere interest
A good psychotherapist has a sincere interest in people and their psychological well-being.
2. Authenticity and respect
To have personal consistency, avoid defensive responses, be for the client, have attention and empathic responses. It is important to pay attention to the resources and qualities of the client. At some point you can make a self-disclosure giving information about yourself, although it has to be little frequent so as not to steal time or prominence from the client, the purpose is to increase collaboration and confidence.
3. Empathy
Understand people from their point of view. Not only understand their feelings, thoughts and attitudes but also perceive how it all affects your life.
4. Mental opening
A psychotherapist will meet many people and all kinds of experiences and decision making. A good psychotherapist understands that the meaning of things is different for everyone and must be respected.
5. Active listening and observation
Listening makes it easier for the client to open up to talk about himself and his concerns. With active listening, you will increase the likelihood of better understand what you are experiencing and, in addition, it will generate a more satisfactory relationship. It is important to observe both verbal and non-verbal behavior.
6. Unconditional acceptance
It is important to accept the client as he is without making judgments. However, just because the therapist accepts it does not mean that he or she thinks it is the right thing to do or more adaptive. We have to leave our values a little parked.
7. Confidence
Convey confidence to your clients that you will do everything possible to help them, that you are there and that you will not harm them in any way.
8. Communicative skills
It is necessary for the therapist to have communication resources that help the client to have a good understanding.
9. Creativity and flexibility
The therapist must adapt to the problems and characteristics of each client and must be able to acquire new skills.
10. Emotional intelligence and self-regulation
The therapist has to manage your emotions so that they do not affect the therapeutic process and know how to maintain the necessary therapeutic distance. Emotional intelligence it is a necessary skill to be a good psychotherapist.
11. Decentration
As we have commented previously, the important thing is the client and his way of building himself and her world. Not your way of building.
12. Compliance with ethical and professional requirements
As is confidentiality, refer to another professional when the problems of the client for any reason and prevent another type of relationship with the client from other than the professional. Following the code of ethics is more than a skill, it is an obligation of the psychologist.
Helping your patients to cope with their problems and suffering will depend on you being able to master these therapeutic skills as well as the specific techniques of each intervention.
A good psychotherapist must also have a very complete and specific training and be aware that in your profession one should never stop training. It must also be borne in mind that therapy has a large part of art since it is necessary to decide what attitudes to take and at what time for the therapeutic process to be carried out successfully.
A psychotherapist in training is challenged to choose a theoretical model Faced with the great variety of offer, configure your therapeutic style and overcome the fear of the experience.
Keep in mind that there are many ways to act in therapy!
The common key is in develop flexibility and creativity to be able to adapt to each therapeutic process and reinvent itself in new situations. When you are already a new therapist you have the challenge of acquiring experience and confidence to enjoy your work, always accepting your own limitations. It is normal that there is a fear for one's own competition and for future success, but little by little one will integrate his own style that will allow him to feel comfortable and, as a consequence, get good results with your clients or patients.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
