What qualities should a psychologist have? Even people far from this profession understand that a specialist in problems human soul something different from them. First of all, a psychologist has the ability to live his days well and not waste them. He strives to systematically restore peace of mind, constantly working on himself. After all, if you don’t do this, you can very quickly undermine nervous system only due to lack positive emotions.

As a rule, most people turn to a psychologist only when critical situations when he doesn’t feel strong enough to deal with the problem on his own. Let's take a closer look at the main personal characteristics such a specialist.

Empathy

Having thought about what qualities a psychologist should have, it is necessary to note this personality trait. Being able to listen to the client is very important. It is necessary to create a trusting environment in the room where the counseling process takes place. Otherwise, it will not be easy for the person who crosses the threshold of the office to relax and put their thoughts in order. Empathic listening allows you to achieve high results regardless of the field in which the specialist works: in children's educational institution, government organization or is engaged in private practice.

Responsibility

What qualities should a psychologist-educator have? First of all, it's patience. After all, we have to deal with stress in children associated with adaptation in a team and various age-related changes. You must be able to take responsibility for the result. Psychologist’s mistakes can be very costly for patients: making the wrong decision, worsening the problem, increasing the level of anxiety. That's why you should try to avoid them as much as possible. When starting a professional activity, a psychologist must remember the responsibility assigned to him.

Responsiveness

A good specialist always tries to understand his interlocutor. When turning to a psychologist, every person expects to find support and understanding. Typically, before seeking help, people try many options to get rid of their fears, doubts and insecurities. Sometimes a lot of time passes before a person really begins to realize the need for change.

When thinking about what personal qualities a consulting psychologist should have, one should note such a characteristic as responsiveness. The ability to feel what is happening to the patient and understand his feelings is very important. Having chosen a profession aimed at helping others, you cannot become a soulless robot who cares about nothing except your own well-being.

Congruence

This concept means non-judgmental acceptance. A psychologist should not try to criticize the person who is seeing him. You cannot try to impose your point of view on him or lead him to make a certain decision. Many people ask: what qualities should a consulting psychologist have?

Of course, be emotionally flexible, get rid of the inner critic. Congruence implies that the specialist is trying not to judge, but to truly understand his interlocutor.

Observation

What qualities should a psychologist have? To be able to identify the problem in time, a specialist must be extremely attentive. There is no need to rush or make hasty decisions here. Every word spoken must be weighed for its appropriateness in the given context. Observation is an integral characteristic of the job. The more professional a psychologist works, the more attentively he will pay attention to all the details and draw appropriate conclusions.

Emotional detachment

It is necessary in order to be able to abstract yourself from the story that the client is telling. This quality has visible advantages - it allows the specialist not to immerse himself in inner world patient. Otherwise, the psychologist will not be able to preserve his peace of mind. Gradually, the body's defenses will begin to deplete.

When you constantly encounter problems and emotional disorders among others, there is a high probability of adopting some destructive patterns of behavior yourself. For this reason, a psychologist must have strong nerves and take care of his mental health. Emotional detachment allows you to learn to abstract yourself from what is happening in especially difficult moments.

Sociability

Self-control is not a guarantee of success in professional activities. You need to be a communicative person, happy to interact with others. If he comes to psychology introverted person, who himself has communication problems, will find it very difficult to work with people. He may be able to get to the root of the client's problems, but he will probably not be able to provide him with real support.

Thus, when studying the question of what qualities a psychologist should have, it is necessary to turn to the issue of self-improvement. Constant personal growth allows you to avoid long-term anxiety states, depression and fears. Since a psychologist constantly interacts with people, he must be able to not only provide real help, but also to protect yourself from possible unpleasant consequences. This is not as easy to do as it seems.

08.02.2011

To be a good psychologist, it is not enough to go through a quality school in theoretical and practical psychology. A person who decides to devote himself to this science must have certain personal qualities. Some of them can be acquired during your studies, and some must be had from the moment you determine your future profession.
If you turn to practicing psychologists, the survey results will show that the most necessary qualities just a few. And all the rest can be acquired in the process of studying the chosen specialization and gaining practical experience.

So, the most important quality of a future psychologist should be respect for the person and genuine interest. Students should show a sincere desire to understand the inner world of a person, the characteristics of his psyche, the motivation of his actions and way of thinking. This interest cannot be instilled: it is either there or it is not there at all.

Among other important qualities a good psychologist And tolerance– display of tolerance towards other people, the desire to perceive other people’s manifestations without irritation and aggression. This quality can be developed, but it is quite difficult and time-consuming, and is also fraught with the appearance of hidden aggression in the psychologist. Therefore, it is important that tolerance has already been developed a priori.
The next important quality is flexibility and adaptability. This means that you must be able to quickly admit your mistakes, change behavior depending on the situation, and easily get used to new conditions - life and work. If you have this quality, then you have every chance of becoming an excellent psychologist.

Like any humanities course, it requires the student to be sensitive, or sensitivity. Ideally, you should be able to feel and guess about the person whose problems you will need to consider. This quality can be developed, but it must be present in you at least in some form.

Here are the main personality traits that distinguish professional psychologist from a newbie. Among the important ones, it is also worth noting the psychologist’s ability to clearly express his thoughts; the ability to understand another person, as well as manage one’s feelings and their manifestations. All this can be developed if desired.

It is important that the psychologist should not get tired of abundant communication with other people. If you find it difficult to have intense conversations with people who have problems, you run the risk of quickly burning out at work. You don't need to turn to other people to understand how suitable you are to work as a psychologist and whether you have all the listed qualities? This is a big plus, because a psychologist must first of all know himself and his capabilities.

First of all, the work of a psychologist requires not only professional knowledge and mastery of techniques, but also special personal qualities, a non-judgmental attitude towards the client, the ability to show a person his capabilities and help him unlock his potential. Without this, it is difficult to imagine a successful specialist who advises and helps navigate complex life situation. In general, personal characteristics are the basis for the development of professionalism of a consulting psychologist.

The presence of certain qualities is one of the main indicators of competence. Therefore, to begin with, I want to dwell on this factor. So, let's take a closer look at what personal qualities a person should have.

According to most professionals, and I completely agree with them, the following personal characteristics are important for the work of a practicing psychologist:

• - Empathy and reflection;
• - benevolence and altruism - the desire to help;
• - respect and tact;
• - desire for development and self-knowledge;
• - self-confidence, determination, adequate self-esteem;
• - tolerance and patience;
• - erudition, diversified development;
• - penchant for analysis - analytical mindset;
• - intuition, insight;
• - emotional stability, self-control, stress resistance;
• - quick adaptation to different conditions;
• - observation and openness;
• - positive thinking, creativity;

Now let’s take a closer look at all the listed qualities in order to understand why a psychologist needs them and how they affect his professional activities.

One of the most important abilities is empathy, i.e. a deep understanding of a person, his real problems and awareness of his state of mind. Empathy- this is an emotional response, empathy and the ability to immerse yourself in the client’s inner world, and communicate at this level throughout the consultation, if the situation requires it. However, this feature of the interlocutor’s perception has nothing to do with compassion and pity. must put oneself in the place of another, feel his emotions, experiences, and at the same time be able to look at the situation from the outside.

So, for example, if a client comes with a problem related to conflict situation, the specialist must first listen and feel his emotions. Only under this condition will a person receive moral satisfaction and prepare for further work. The tasks of a psychologist are to look at the situation through the eyes of the client, make it clear that he is on his side, and then offer to consider the conflict from different points of view.

If the practitioner is abstracted from the problems of a person and his personality, the work will not be effective and useful. Firstly, the client will feel that he is not interesting to the specialist he contacted. Secondly, this approach is incompetent, because the person will not receive even basic emotional support. In general, I believe that a consultant who does not have such qualities and does not develop them will not be able to help solve psychological problems.

Concerning goodwill, altruism, tact, respect towards people in general, it is difficult to imagine a psychology specialist who does not want to help and shows disrespect and aggression towards the client. Without a basic respectful attitude, dialogue is generally impossible, much less communication between a consultant who is called upon to provide psychological assistance. Naturally, certain qualities relate to personality traits and are inherent from the very beginning. The desire and ability to help people develop, find solutions, realize their potential, teach them constructive and effective communication, etc. is the first step from which the path of a real psychologist begins.

Another personal quality of a psychotherapist associated with professional activity- this is positive thinking, which consists of perceiving failure as a step for new achievements, not regretting what cannot be returned, looking to the future rather than looking back. In a word, this is the ability to glean positive moments from the most unpleasant situations, and perceive the presence of problems as a driving force for personal growth and progress. This is exactly what an experienced specialist should teach his clients who want to develop, to solve the difficulties that arise as effectively as possible. Reasonable optimism, positivity and a creative approach allow you to see events in best options, and create appropriate conditions for their development in the right direction.

The desire for self-knowledge and development, interest in people– the same conditions for professional growth as the previous qualities. Before you start helping others, you must understand your own problems, understand which abilities are more developed, which are less developed, what are your strengths and weak sides. After such self-analysis, the specialist will be able to use his advantages more effectively and work on those qualities that are less developed. Only constant development, self-knowledge and self-analysis will allow a psychotherapist to improve and grow personally and professionally. After all, working on yourself is the same indicator of competence as, for example, theoretical knowledge or mastery of techniques, and maybe even more important.

The profession of a psychologist requires purposefulness and self-confidence. Such qualities are necessary to achieve results in any business. However, for a practicing psychologist they are of particular importance; they are the inner core and strength that will allow the client to trust the specialist and feel that their joint work will produce the desired results and fruits. But do not confuse confidence with excessive self-confidence, using your authority to influence a person’s choice. Sometimes the situation develops in such a way that the line becomes very thin, and sometimes it is quite difficult to feel it even for a professional. The goals and objectives of the psychologist are to act in the interests of the client, not to put pressure on him, to show everything possible options, but this will be discussed a little later. At the same time, the consultant’s self-esteem is also important. It must be adequate. Inflated self-esteem will lead to the fact that the specialist will look at the client as if from above. Low self-esteem and uncertainty are destructive to a professional’s personality and are not acceptable.

Thus, tolerance is important for adequate perception of other people's views and worldviews. This is the basis of respect, understanding, openness, development and expansion own capabilities. That is why this quality has such high significance in the work of a psychotherapist. In addition, I would call tolerance one of the ways of knowledge that makes a person multifaceted, versatile and more erudite. And these features, in turn, are also necessary conditions professional development and work of a psychologist.

Analytic mind– another personal characteristic associated with the successful activities and competence of a consulting psychologist. The ability to analyze a situation, set priorities, think broadly and positively are fundamental skills that make work effective. The tendency to analyze is manifested in the fact that a specialist can sort the situation into pieces, and then, like a puzzle, put it back together, consider it from different points of view, without involving emotions.

Of course, the work of a psychologist does not imply a complete shutdown of emotional perception, but conclusions and reasoning must be based on objective facts. At the same time, it is important psychological intuition or, in other words, insight. This ability should rather be called a kind of talent, a gift, but it can and should also be developed. To have insight means to understand more than the client says, to see the hidden reasons for his problems, to summarize all the available information about the person and read it. This is enough difficult task, requiring experience and work on yourself. I must say that insight is a rare talent, and not all psychologists manage to develop it fully. In my opinion, this ability is not just an indicator of competence and experience, but the highest achievement in professional development.

With all these features and qualities, communication skills, empathy and involvement when communicating with a client, a psychologist must have emotional stability and stress resistance. Emotional overload often leads to burnout, stress, and depression. For a professional, this is not excluded, but it is better if the professional’s self-control is low. high level, and he calculates his strengths and capabilities. Emotional stability is manifested in calmness, in the ability to overcome strong feelings, and this, in a way, prevents nervous breakdowns and psychological burnout. Also, such qualities contribute to quick adaptation to changing working conditions and quick switching from one person to another.

Observation and openness– qualities without which the work of a psychologist is simply impossible. Interest in people, the ability to notice seemingly insignificant details, attentiveness, ease, naturalness in communication and a willingness to learn, cognize, the desire to see what others do not see. Without this, it is difficult to imagine a successful specialist who helps people find solutions in difficult situations. The psychologist's answers to the questions are indicated in another section.

In general, personal characteristics intersect very clearly with the professional activities of an experienced psychologist. Only under the condition of spiritual search, the desire for self-improvement, and goodwill, a specialist is able to maximize his potential and help others in this.

Essay - What should a psychologist be like?

Psychologist? No, he's not a wizard
Not a miracle worker, not an athlete,
Not a life problem solver,
And he is not a super-human.

He breathes the same way, loves the same way,
And he feels the same way as everyone else.
He does not accomplish great destinies,
He doesn't know everything about you.

Memory can measure yours,
Thinking, temperament, speech.
He can only fix it a little,
But he is unable to save.

guide of your soul,
He's just a hint, not an answer,
Road sign, limiter
Your mistakes, friend victories.

Desiring harmony in the soul,
He won’t create it for you,
Helping with advice in life,
She won’t live for you.

Psychologist? No, he's not a wizard
Not a charlatan, not a sorcerer,
He is not a saint, not a serious sinner,
He is a man among people.

This is how I would like to start my essay with a poem. Who is a “psychologist”? Quite often you can hear: “Oh, psychologist, is this the one who treats psychos?”, “What kind of psychologist!? My child is healthy, it’s you who don’t know how to handle him!” Such a reaction to the mention of the profession of psychologist is still very common even among educated people. I encountered the same problem when I came to work at school. The students, seeing me, said that they were not crazy and that they did not need a psychologist at school. This is mainly due to the fact that psychologists are confused with doctors, and they believe that turning to a psychologist means admitting your own mental ill-being (illness). In fact, a psychologist is a specialist with the highest humanitarian education in psychology who works with healthy people experiencing certain difficulties at a particular point in their lives.

I would like to clarify the question of what a school psychologist does.

The work of a school psychologist can be divided into the following areas:

1. Psychological diagnostics consists of conducting frontal (group) and individual examinations of students using special techniques. Diagnostics are carried out at the preliminary request of teachers or parents, as well as at the initiative of a psychologist for research or preventive purposes. Psychodiagnostic direction includes: identifying the causes of academic failure, analyzing problems personal development, assessment of the development of cognitive processes and abilities, analysis of current physical and mental state students, career guidance, analysis of interpersonal relationships of students, analysis of family and child-parent relationships.

2. Psychological counseling– this is work on the specific request of parents, teachers, students.

3. Corrective and developmental work is carried out in the form of individual or group classes, during which the psychologist tries to correct undesirable features mental development child. These classes can be aimed both at the development of cognitive processes (memory, attention, thinking), and at solving problems in the emotional-volitional sphere, in the sphere of communication and the problem of self-esteem of students.

4. Psychological education consists of introducing teachers and parents to the basic patterns and conditions for the favorable mental development of a child. This is carried out during consultations, speeches at pedagogical councils and parent meetings.

5. Methodological work (professional development, self-education, work with analytical and reporting documentation).

In my opinion, a psychologist should be mentally healthy. He must be resilient and withstand great physical and psychological stress. To work as a school psychologist, you need to have certain qualities, namely: the ability to listen and empathize. When working with people, it is important to formulate your thoughts clearly and clearly, to be hardworking, sociable, responsible, tactful, contactable, erudite, and tolerant. It is important for a psychologist to have a sense of humor, broad professional knowledge, love children. In the process of work, such qualities as the ability to communicate with by different people, understand their problems and interests, analyze, find a compromise; observation and professional knowledge develop.

I would like parents to remember that a psychologist cannot correct violations of children’s activity for them (bypassing parents and teachers). Only parents and teachers themselves can make adjustments to their own behavior and interaction with the child. Therefore, everything will work out only if they are ready to do it and make every effort to change actions and attitudes. It all depends on you!