Question 1

What is the difference between a psychologist, a psychotherapist, a psychiatrist and a counsellor/coach in Greece?

Accepted Answer

A psychologist is a person with a degree in psychology who is involved in the study and research of human behaviour, the factors that influence it and how it can be changed. In order to practice the profession of psychologist in Greece, a person must have completed their undergraduate studies in a Department of Psychology of a recognized educational institution in Greece or abroad. In this case, a license to practice as a psychologist is granted. In most foreign countries, a master's or doctoral degree is required to obtain a full professional licence.
 
A psychiatrist is a doctor, meaning they studied medicine first and then chose psychiatry as a specialisation. They are the only one of the above who are able (legally and scientifically) to prescribe medication, write tests and make a formal diagnosis. The psychiatrist often collaborates with a psychologist in the treatment of psychopathology problems that require a more synthetic approach.
A psychotherapist, if they have completed their studies in psychology or psychiatry, have been trained for four years in some kind of psychotherapy (e.g. systemic, cognitive behavioural, psychodynamic, etc.) and through theoretical training, supervision and personal psychotherapy, they can help the client to deal with the issues that they are struggling. It is important to keep in mind that the fact that someone has studied psychology or psychiatry does not automatically make them a psychotherapist. In order to hold this title, they must have specialized. Training is provided by recognised and accredited training providers. Seminar-type short-term training courses cannot turn someone into a psychotherapist.
 
Counsellor/coach is a tricky title in Greece. Legally, anyone can register this title and open the corresponding ID number with the tax authorities, without the need for a training certificate or a professional licence. This does not mean, however, that everyone who uses it is outside the mental health field (e.g., their degree from a foreign country may not be recognized in Greece or they may have made a minor career change from a health or social science profession). The important thing is to be transparent and not to use a title that does not correspond to their studies.
 
Therefore, if you want to ensure the quality of the services you receive, do not hesitate to ask the mental health professional you are working with about their studies and professional experience.

Question 2

In which case would I need to see a psychologist?

Accepted Answer

All people from time to time face various difficulties in our daily lives and experience negative thoughts and feelings such as anxiety, fear, sadness, etc. These feelings are perfectly normal and we should accept them and treat them as such. However, when the intensity, frequency and duration of the negative emotions or situations we have to deal with starts to increase, and/or when our daily functioning is disturbed and we feel that our usual strategies and mental reserves are not sufficient, then it is a good opportunity to seek the assistance of a mental health specialist.

Indicative of some difficulties that can be the trigger for our personal therapy are: inner need for self-awareness and self-improvement, managing a period of transition, feelings of loneliness, anxiety, failure, etc, panic attacks, sleep disturbances, eating disorders, persistent phobias, low self-confidence, communication difficulties in our personal or work relationships, difficulties in controlling anger and externalizing emotions, confusion in the parental role, identity crisis, psychosomatic symptoms, management of traumatic experiences, mental disorders, etc.

In any case, seeking help when things get difficult is a sign of strength, good self-awareness, and practical self-care. After all, if we don't help ourselves, who will?

Question 3

How can I tell if I chose the right psychologist for me?

Accepted Answer

The selection methods that people usually use to find a psychologist are random selection through a professional platform or directory, selection through a professional page from an internet search or, more commonly, from an acquaintance who was satisfied and recommends their own psychologist. Although the safest way seems to be the suggestion of our acquaintance, in reality none of these ways ensure that we have made the right choice.

The reason is that psychotherapy is a process that inevitably involves an interpersonal element. This means that even if the specialist has all the necessary papers confirming their professional status and scientific training, they may not be a good match for us as a presence or as a temperament. For this reason, after checking first of all the documents (e.g. professional license, degree, post-graduate training, titles, etc.) that they are obliged as a professional to disclose to us, we have the right to ask all those things that we need to know in order to feel safe and ready to work psychotherapeutically. It is important for the psychologist to do or have done personal therapy in various psychotherapy settings (e.g. individual, group psychotherapy) and to be supervised by a more experienced psychologist (no matter how many years of experience they may have).
 
The most important element is the feeling we get during the first session(s). That is, whether our psychologist inspires confidence, security, intimacy, honesty and whether we feel that they do not judge us and understand us. It takes time to build the therapeutic relationship, which varies from person to person, however from the first few sessions we can feel the above. These elements are a good basis to begin psychotherapy with confidence.

Question 4

Why should I go to a psychologist when I have friends I can talk to?

Accepted Answer

Each of us at a certain period of our lives may face difficulties in our daily lives that make it necessary to visit a mental health professional, either for issues concerning ourselves or to seek support and counselling in our parental/partner role. If a person is honest with oneself and turns to a professional, they have a much better chance not only of changing the way they deal with the issues that concern them, but also of learning new, more functional ways of thinking and behaving that will help them develop as person.

A persistently negative attitude to asking for help, combined with a sense of omnipotence that "I can handle everything myself" leads to perpetuating problems, not taking individual responsibility ourselves and trapping ourselves in a vicious circle. All this of course has an effect on those around us too. The help of a psychotherapist is invaluable, as according to Albert Einstein "no problem can be solved at the same level of thinking that created it".

Question 5

Why should I start psychotherapy when I can deal with my problems on my own?

Accepted Answer

Each of us at a certain period of our lives can face difficulties in our daily life that make it necessary to visit a mental health specialist, either for issues that concern us, or to seek support and counseling in terms of parenting/partnership his role. If a person is honest with himself and turns to an expert, he has a much better chance not only of changing the way he deals with the issues that concern him, but also of learning new, more functional ways of thinking and behaving that will help him develop as person.

A persistently negative attitude to asking for help combined with a sense of omnipotence that "I can handle it all by myself" leads to perpetuating problems, not taking personal responsibility and trapping ourselves in a vicious cycle. circle. Of course, all this has an effect on those around us. The help of the psychotherapist is valuable, since according to Albert Einstein "no problem can be solved at the same level of thinking that created it".

Question 6

I have never been in therapy before. What should I expect in my first session with the psychotherapist?

Accepted Answer

The first session is more procedural and is the introduction of the patient and therapist. The psychotherapist focuses on getting to know the person, listening to their story, and recording important information about their past as well as their current life stage. The aim is to understand them as the unique being that they are and, therefore, not to identify them with the difficulty they bring. They inform about the context, how they work as a therapist and create together with the patient their therapeutic contract (how long each session lasts, cost, frequency, etc.).
 
The patient, for their part, describe what is troubling them, as well as what they are asking for, their personal request for starting therapy. They can ask anything they consider important for them in relation to the therapist. It is very important to mention that it is normal to have anxiety during the first session and that the patient does not know what to expect.  At the end of the first session, the patient has the opportunity to decide whether or not to continue psychotherapy with that therapist. If they do not feel ready, it is better to take some time and see how they feel in the following sessions, as each person needs different time to adjust and process the new circumstances.

Question 7

How do I know what I say is confidential?

Accepted Answer

A psychologist maintains professional confidentiality not only about the people they see, but also about matters relating to the context in which they work. Anything reported in the therapy room by the patient is confidential and is not shared with anyone else. Even in supervision, where they talk about their cases with a more experienced psychologist, code names or initials are used so that the patient cannot be identified.
 
In extremely rare cases, professional confidentiality is broken when and if the psychologist believes that the life or safety of the individual or the life/safety of others is at risk.  Even then, they must inform the person that they are going to take this action.

Question 8

How long do I need to be in therapy in order to feel better?

Accepted Answer

This is a question to which there is no one answer as man is a complex being. The duration of treatment depends on many factors such as the request, the willingness of the person in treatment to work on themselves, their financial capabilities and the evolution of their daily life (if something important has happened, e.g. death of a loved one or a sudden change of circumstances, etc.).
 
It is certainly not the aim of psychotherapy that the person being treated should be dependent on the psychologist and be forced into endless procedures that burden them financially. On the other hand, the person being treated should be willing to devote time to themselves and should not demand magical express solutions from the psychologist. In the event that the patient decides, at any time, to discontinue psychotherapy, the therapist must respect this decision and 'release' them, after providing meaningful feedback on their progress up to that point.

Question 9

What is systemic psychotherapy?

Accepted Answer

Systems psychotherapy is based on systems theory (Bertalanfy, 1968) as it was applied to the field of mental health in the 1950s. It is a therapeutic approach that began as family therapy, then applied to couples and later to individuals. It is a modern scientific model of viewing and understanding reality that shifts the psychological view from the individual to the system and from personal qualities to relationships.
 
A system is defined as the sum of elements in interaction and interdependence. The patient who is "treated systemically" by the psychotherapist is understood as a member of a network of relationships rather than as a single individual. To understand this, it is enough to think about how many social groups/systems we belong to e.g. family, work, friendships, neighbourhood we live in etc. The systems approach tries to analyse and understand the internal organisation and functioning of systems, as well as their interaction with their external environment.
 
The symptom that the person has is considered to be the result of a dysfunction of the whole family system to which they belong. That is, not so much attention is paid to the symptom, but to the processes within the family that make its presence necessary. The therapist deals with the whole context to which the person with the symptom belongs. An advantage of systemic therapy is that it can contribute to changes in the family without all members attending therapy. This is because this particular orientation believes that any change in one element of the system brings about changes in the whole system.
 
It is important to emphasize that systemic psychotherapy does not take away the personal responsibility of the individual and places it in the relationship. It attributes to the patient the responsibility, and therefore the power, to form a functional and satisfactory relationality in the present, with parallel reference to the past and childhood, in order to understand the ways in which dysfunctional patterns of relationality are formed.

by Nancy Paspati

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