Question for a psychologist:
Hello! I'm from Ukraine. All my conscious life I want to become a psychologist, but, unfortunately, when I tried to enter a university with such a direction, my parents did not have enough money, and I went along a different professional path. My desire to get a psychological education did not disappear. But many of my friends say that a psychologist should be born, and not learn to be one. They are right?
I want to become a psychologist
Hello!
Thank you very much for this question! As someone who has gone through this, I can share with you my own opinion on this matter. I have always been of the opinion that it is possible to teach a hare to smoke, if there is a desire, and psychology in this matter is no different from other sciences.
I will not hide, initially, when I entered the Faculty of Psychology, I was extremely interested in how to teach the science of the soul. To be honest, it is still interesting ... I can say for sure that a lot in the work of a psychologist is based on his intuition, which is a true ally and assistant of a psychologist. But, it also happens that this very intuition not only fails, but also interferes with a sober assessment of the situation.
From my own experience and example, I can say that the university, unfortunately, does not provide the most important thing that a psychologist should have - practical experience and skills. What I am grateful to my university for is exactly 2 things: for the list of references that guides and helps among the mass of popular literature on psychology to separate, as they say, the wheat from the chaff, and for the very “crust” that allows you to develop further. Everything else that has accumulated in my head for 5 years is the result of purely independent work, such as: reading literature in huge quantities, attending various trainings and seminars. All this is a plus for a real psychologist.
Fortunately, in Russia (I am sure that Ukraine has the same system), psychological counseling does not require licensing, so, by and large, anyone can work. Another point is that you will not be called a “therapist” without a specialized higher education, but feel free to call yourself a “consultant” and work for your own pleasure.
But there is a downside to the exciting work of a psychologist, there are always pluses and minuses in work. Since we are still working with a person, not a machine, it is easier to harm the client than to help him. And when a consultant is completely, what is called “wooden” in relation to human experiences and feelings, and sometimes, in general, he doesn’t like people very much, then he becomes ashamed of his “colleagues”, and after all, these can be people with a higher psychological education ...
Summarizing all of the above, I note that if your desire to be a psychologist is really great, if it’s not a banal “I want!”, And you feel strength in yourself and at least some inclinations, then don’t be afraid to experiment. Maybe, while you are still not completely determined, you can try to be like trainings or seminars that will help you navigate the huge choice of directions and determine for yourself whether you want to follow this path. As a rule, such trainings are not free, but you will be able to study without interruption from your current main job, without leaving it.
So think for yourself, decide for yourself. In general, the profession of a practical psychologist is really exciting.
Believe in yourself and be yourself!
Good luck!
