Stressful situations - a phenomenon for a person is quite ordinary and familiar. At work, the authorities press, loading with tons of tasks or forcing them to work overtime. Something is not given at school, the "deadlines" of course papers and essays are running out. Disagreements or misunderstandings may arise in the family, the husband / wife or parents begin to sort things out, which invariably leads to conflict.
All these loads and skirmishes loosen the human nervous system, resulting in the emergence of various complexes, psychological problems and pathologies. To prevent their development or to correct already acquired deviations from the norm, there are many types of psychological assistance.
What is this help?
Any external intervention in the human psyche is aimed at stabilizing his mental state, at correcting possible behavioral disorders, or at identifying and subsequently eradicating personality problems.
Psychological assistance can be provided at the household or professional level, it all depends on the severity of the problem. If this is a turmoil at work or, for example, a quarrel with friends, then even a simple layman who is not an expert in psychology can help his neighbor simply by listening to him, showing sympathy and understanding. For a long time, this function in the Middle Ages and in the New Age, before psychology was formed as a science, was performed by priests. The principle of confession allowed parishioners to perform psycho-emotional unloading, stabilizing the state of mind, providing some kind of socio-psychological assistance.
In some cases, simple verbal support and sympathy is not enough. When a person is mentally ill, when the deformation and splitting of his personality has occurred, when he is no longer able to think adequately, psychiatry comes to the rescue, combining counseling and drug therapy.
Variety of psychological assistance
Depending on the tactics used during treatment and on the severity of the situation, different types of psychological assistance are distinguished. One type can be applied to the patient in order to remove his speech and internal barriers, thereby helping him to more fully reveal his potential.
Another view is aimed at restoring the emotional balance of a patient who has been disturbed, for example, due to nervous exhaustion. For various problem states and positions, the principle of individual meetings or group trainings can be used.
Why do I need help?
Most often people turn to psychologists when something in their life stops going according to plan, when relations with close people deteriorate, when problems arise with work. There are many reasons, but all of them lead to one thing - to the disturbance of mental balance.
If the patient’s problem picture is not clinical, then regular counseling is enough to achieve the result. A positive result in this case is overcoming difficulties in communication, removing internal clamps that interfere with fruitful work.
An improvement in the patient’s condition is usually observed when he begins to understand that he will be carefully listened to and understood, and will also be able to help, calm down mental anxiety. Even then, a person is relieved. However, one session is rarely enough, on average, counseling takes from 2 to 15 sessions, which should be carried out by a specialist with the qualification of a psychologist.
Diagnosis of the patient
Before determining the methods by which the treatment will be carried out, the specialist needs to understand what is the depth of the problem and, in general, whether it actually takes place. At the end of the 19th century, Wilhelm Wundt first attempted to determine the state of mental functions by measuring the level of perception, reaction rate, and so on.
In the 1920s, the famous Swiss psychologist Herman Rorschach went further in the diagnosis of mental disorders, developing a special stain system, later named after him. These "blots" are still used by specialists in the provision of many types of psychological assistance, as they are an effective way to determine the personality characteristics of a patient.
For the diagnosis, various tests and questionnaires are often used, which are carried out by the patient under the supervision of a doctor, but without his direct participation. It is also impossible to find out the full picture of the disease without ordinary conversations and observations. Often, they provide the most valuable information, but it can be collected within a few months.
Psychological counseling
In most cases, without suffering from serious mental disorders, people still turn to psychologists for help, feeling internal discomfort. Psychological counseling as a type of psychological assistance in the first place sets itself more important tasks than simply listening to the patient and the accompanying assent.
The main goal is to show the person in which course he can lead his life, to realize and, possibly, rethink his intentions, attitude to life, to shade off his goal and meaning, for which he lives. In this case, it is impossible to help with medicines, so the psychologist must be not only an expert in psychology, but also in philosophy, sociology.
Family counseling
Psychological counseling can successfully work not only within a single individual, but also within the whole family. When disagreements arise between husband and wife, which they cannot solve, then psychology helps them. Counseling for a couple consists of 3 stages.
At the first session, the specialist gets acquainted with the content of the problem, collects general information, selects the most preferred type of psychological assistance to the family. At the next stage, he listens to the opinion of the problem and how to solve it from both spouses, testing and solving projective tasks is carried out. The third stage is the most important and long, it can take several weeks, depending on the depth of the problem. At this time, the psychologist is trying to solve the problem using different approaches that require the participation of both spouses. His goal at this stage is to show the couple how important it is to hear each other and accept the point of view of a loved one.
Psychotherapy. What is the point?
Psychotherapy is a systematic effect on the human psyche in order to eliminate his internal problems associated with his attitude to society and to himself. The term "psychotherapy" was coined by the English physician Daniel Tuke back in the 19th century and denoted the influence of the soul on the body after exposure from the doctor.
Now there is no clear definition of this term, however, the task and means of this type of psychological assistance are clear: it is to improve the quality of life of the patient by establishing deep and trusting relationships for the further use of medical techniques, including medical ones. There is also clinical psychotherapy, which focuses on biological changes in the body and their impact on the human psyche.
Behavioral and cognitive therapy
Behavioral, or, in other words, behavioral therapy, is one of the most popular branches of psychotherapy . The purpose of this technique is to change the deviant behavior to the level of the norm, as well as to develop new individual behavioral models that are useful in everyday life and professional activity.
Behavioral therapy copes with the task of exemption from fears and phobias, so it can be considered as a form of psychological assistance to children. In the case of adult patients, a very positive result from the treatment is observed even with severe and prolonged dependence: drug, alcohol.
Cognitive therapy differs from behavioral therapy primarily in that it does not strongly focus on patient behavior. Particular attention is paid to his thoughts and feelings in order to direct them into a channel in which a person can think more realistically. This type of psychological assistance has been successfully used to treat patients with depression or clinical perfectionism. The direction of their thoughts (“I have no future” or “either everything or nothing”) is changing in a more positive and realistic direction.
General conclusion
The psyche is the most important and at the same time the most fragile complex of mental processes, without which human existence is impossible. Severe stress and anxiety due to problems in relationships with loved ones, friends, or an influx of difficulties at work can shake this complex.
If this happened, then there is nothing shameful in seeking the help of a specialist. Modern psychology and psychiatry offer a huge range of psychological approaches in treating patients, from simple soothing conversations to a complete change in life course in a positive direction. What type of psychological assistance is suitable can only be decided by a professional psychologist, however, you need to be sure that there are no hopeless situations.