A psychologist is a specialist who has a systemised knowledge about how the human brain works, it's mental processes and human problems, and most importantly someone who professionally possesses the skills to provide psychological assistance. CLIENTS TURN TO A PSYCHOLOGIST: • When seeking solutions to specific life problems or making important decisions. • For a professional understanding of their psychological state and emotional reactions. • To address neurotic conditions, including anxiety and depression. • For help with personality traits and a wide spectrum of the past psychological traumas. • To overcome specific phobias, panic attacks, sleep disorders, and other psychosomatic issues. • When facing crises in relationships with spouses, children, or others. • When experiencing serious maladjustment or often a loss of life's meaning. This is why professional training in psychology should be systematic, covering the full range of knowledge and skills needed by a practicing specialist, and grounded in a solid scientific foundation. What are the main shortcomings of most current psychology education programs? Scattered knowledge and lack of a systematic approach As a rule, what is studied is not human psychology and not the real causes of his problems, but individual techniques, schools and directions, which does not give the student a sense of confidence in his knowledge. Theoretical knowledge without understanding practical work Training often relies on abstract concepts that don't connect with real-world practice, leaving students unprepared for actual client interactions and lacking practical skills. Scientifically based knowledge is replaced by pseudo-psychology The training is not based on modern scientific knowledge about the brain and human psyche, but often simply naive, and in some places frankly harmful psychotechnics that can harm the client's mental state. WHAT KNOWLEDGE UNDERLYES PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAINING? • general and cognitive psychology, including knowledge of various mental processes and emotional reactions; • key principles underlying the main psychotherapeutic areas - dynamic Psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral Psychotherapy, gestalt therapy and humanistic psychology; • modern neuroscientific approach to understanding the mechanisms of formation of various mental states and principles of operation of psychotherapeutic techniques; • psychophysiology of stress and adaptation, including knowledge of psychosomatic processes and somatoform disorders; • special areas of psychology - conflictology and social psychology, family counseling, crisis assistance, child psychology, etc.; • psychology of formation and development of personality, including knowledge of mechanisms and ways of overcoming personal and age crises. Only a complete and cohesive system of knowledge allows a consulting psychologist to effectively solve practical problems when working with clients. So what should a psychologist be able to do? 1. Build a trusting therapeutic relationship with the client, considering their personal traits and characteristics. 2. Conduct thorough psychotherapeutic diagnosis, systematically and as a whole analyzing the client's situation and his mental state; 3. Reconstruct the client's cognitive models - his subjective understanding of the problem situation, its origin and structure; 4. Identify the nature and character of the client's internal conflict underlying his neurotic reactions and complexes; 5. Possess a full set of psychotherapeutic tools that allow you to influence the immediate psycho-emotional state of the client, modify his ideas and beliefs, work with specific symptoms, and harmonize relationship systems - with himself, the world and other people; 6. To be able to build the dynamics of individual psychotherapeutic sessions and the entire psychotherapeutic course as a whole; 7. Maintain ethical standards in client relationships and manage own emotional state. To conclude, I encourage you to reflect on the points discussed and wish you a fulfilling journey toward Healing.