Common Fears About Seeing a Psychologist
- What will he think of me? Will he think I'm crazy, bad, or stupid?
- She'll diagnose me
- He'll try to talk about things I don't want to talk about
- She'll push me to do things I'm not ready to do
- It won't work anyway, so why bother?
- He'll try to psychoanalyze me
- She'll try to blame everything on my mother or father
- He'll be too stuffy
- She'll be too loosey-goosey
- He'll be like one of the t.v. shrinks in sitcoms
- She won't understand me
But here's what your psychologist is really trying to do...
- Understand you. See things from your point of view
- Join forces with you. Collaborate
- Put your problems / concerns in a context that makes sense
- Communicate his / her understand back to you –- to make sure it's right
- Understand your goals
- Figure out what you need, what's best for you
- Be professional but human
- Help you understand yourself better
- Help you understand others better
- Help you