How to start working as a psychologist without experience. What is it like to work as a psychologist? Online psychologist: distance learning and work

Yes, the main problem is in relation to you. Many perceive psychologists either as sages who, for a fee, will resolve all your personal crises, return your husband to the family, cure alcoholism, and in an hour you will leave the office as a completely different person. Or like charlatans who cannot do all of the above, but take money for a session. All why? Because the level of psychological literacy in our country is extremely low. Most people cannot distinguish a psychologist from a psychiatrist, and when they suggest visiting a specialist, what phrase do we hear most often? I'M NOT CRAZY!

But we have a lot of “experts” in psychology. Here we have armchair psychologists without the appropriate education, and kitchen psychologists who, over a glass of strong drink, will tell you what strength is, brother. And all this can lead to not the most pleasant consequences.

As for clinical psychology, yes, the field is predominantly new. Not many universities offer training in this specialty. And those who graduate clinics themselves do not really know what should be included in the educational program.

The scope of clinical psychology includes the diagnosis of mental health, the organization and conduct of scientific research to understand psychophysiological problems, and the development, implementation and evaluation of psychological interventions. Naturally, there are many more scientific and medical disciplines here than among ordinary psychologists. We must know the basics of the functioning of the GM, all the departments that are responsible for various functions. VPF recovery techniques and much more. The work of a clinical psychologist is aimed at increasing a person’s psychological resources and adaptive capabilities, harmonizing mental development, protecting health, preventing and overcoming illnesses, and psychological rehabilitation.

At the same time, clients often do not see ANY difference between a regular psychologist and a medical psychologist, they demand resolution of their personal problems and that’s all. This is not what a clinical psychologist does!

And try to explain this to everyone - both clients and those who hire you. Manage to hide from the contemptuous glances of medical workers, decline offers to participate in business or other trainings, explain that specialization is needed to work with children or psychotherapy...

But no, you are a jack-of-all-trades psychologist, cognitive scientist, behaviorist, psychoanalyst, psychiatrist, educator, teacher, coach, diagnostician, magician and wizard for 13 thousand a month. The organization does not want to spend money on training - it is more profitable for them to hire a graduate who will work with enthusiasm than to pay for advanced training for a young specialist. Well, and other bureaucratic subtleties.

Personally, I never wanted to work with healthy people. I work with patients and do psychological rehabilitation. The work is really interesting - there are so many life stories. And most importantly, you know that people NEED your help.

Of course, after all this, the psychologist himself needs the help of a supervisor, but, heh, obviously not in our department. You sort of deal with burnout and other mental anguish yourself.

It is worth remembering that you cannot help everyone.

That's how it is, guys.

I’m not saying that all psychologists/clinics have this situation. I just described a special case.

Making a choice in favor of a certain type of activity, it already becomes clear what kind of work a novice psychologist would like to work in, what consultations attract him most, and in what field of activity he would like to try to gain a foothold. Moreover, it partially becomes clear where to look for such work.

How to start working as a psychologist - job search by profession

It is recommended that a novice psychologist search for a job by profession using the following algorithm:

Determine the range of places where your professional skills, not yet supported by work experience, will be in demand.
Send your resume to these places and also sign up for job interviews.
Talk to your friends and acquaintances about possible employment opportunities.
Look for vacancies on exchanges on the Internet, in employment centers and similar places.

This is a common search algorithm and is followed by many young people. But in order for the solution to the problem of how to start working as a psychologist to bring the fastest and, most importantly, good results, you need to apply the following tips to your life:

An aspiring psychologist looking for where to start should not set the bar too high for themselves regarding the vacancy. And, accordingly, it should not be focused on too high a salary.

In general, experience shows that the best option would be to work for one year at some low-paid job, for example, at a school or a medical institution, gain experience, and then, having a good starting position in education and experience, apply for more prestigious positions .

If circumstances require it, then in addition to your higher education diploma, you can take advanced training courses that will provide additional advantages in the labor market. But it is better to select courses not academic, but practical, and even better - with subsequent employment. By the way, such courses for those who want to make a good career will need to be taken regularly.
Stay organized. Make a plan on how you can start working as a psychologist, what places to visit, who to talk to. The more active you are in the search process, the greater the chance that you will be noticed somewhere and hired.
Be flexible with your work. Agree to suitable options, even if at first you didn’t think about them at all. You need to gain experience, and a novice psychologist, who will then be lined up for consultations, cannot do without this.
Create a resume that makes you stand out from the crowd and prepare well for interviews. Use our advice, arm yourself with optimism, and everything will work out for you!

Do you know the excitement of waiting for a new client? Do you calmly talk about your activities and name the cost of your services? No? Then this article is for you.

Myth No. 1. No diploma – too early to start consulting.

“How can I start consulting if I don’t have a diploma in hand yet?” - this question arose in my head when I received my first psychological education. I I specifically chose an educational institution where I could gain more experience, however, when the time came to start practicing, a stupor set in.

My first real client found me on the Internet. I left a comment on one of the thematic forums, indicating that I was a psychologist, and soon the first consultation was scheduled. By the scheduled time, I experienced the whole gamut of feelings and emotions: irresistible excitement, terrible resistance, panic, doubt, fear. It seemed to me that it was easier to jump with a parachute than to conduct an hour-long consultation. To be honest, I even hoped that the client would change his mind and not come. But everything turned out differently.

The client arrived, and my panic gave way to slight uncertainty. At the same time, it was noticeable only to me. I won’t lie and say that at my first consultation I was able to turn the client’s world upside down and immediately help solve all his problems. I didn’t do anything special, I just let the person talk, listened carefully and sometimes asked leading questions.
As a result of the consultation, the client admitted that he received relief, and his problem no longer seemed so significant.

Many people are trapped by two conflicting beliefs. You cannot work for money with clients unless you have an education. And, also, you cannot get real experience without practice. The solution can be simple: first, practice techniques and practices with fellow students and friends. They will know that you do not have a diploma, but you are also unlikely to be able to do any harm, because you will act carefully and can always ask the teachers for help. In the worst case, you won’t help, but in the best case, you will gain experience and consolidate your knowledge.

And it’s better to look for your first real clients during the learning process, while you are still in a team of like-minded people and under the strict supervision of experienced colleagues.

Conclusion: we start safe practice while studying.

Myth No. 2. Until you can call yourself a nice name, it’s too early to start consulting.

After completing my studies, I received a diploma in Psychological Counseling. Once you have your diploma, you can start actively promoting yourself, right?

“Somehow this is too broad! There are a lot of psychologists, how can you promote yourself?” - Another smart thought came to me. Then I thought that it is much more effective to be a psychologist in a certain niche. Then my potential client will know exactly what questions to contact me about.

Agree, it sounds much more expert if you are a “perinatal psychologist”, “child psychologist”, “regression psychologist”, “speech therapist”, “family psychologist”, “sex psychologist”, “business psychologist”, etc. .

So, I put the practice off again. AND, Before I started actively promoting myself, I started looking for a niche.

My daughter was 2 years old and my son had just been born when I decided that I wanted to study perinatal psychology. I got busy with my studies again, studied theory, even did an internship at a St. Petersburg maternity hospital and received two certificates. But when the time came to start working, I realized that this was not at all what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Then I continued my search for a niche, again postponing the start of active practice.

During the training process, we observe the work of professionals who have many years of experience. Looking at how easy and interesting it is for them, you want to do the same, and right away. In reality, it turns out differently, and it begins to seem that somewhere in another niche everything will be different, you just need to find it.

May be. But what if you can’t find and choose this very niche right away?

It is impossible to understand what exactly you want to do until you try different directions. In addition, tastes, preferences and interests change over time. Therefore, it is important to start practicing even if you have not yet chosen your main niche. By trying yourself in different things, you will have the opportunity to feel from your own experience how close this or that direction is to you. And perhaps this will save you from attending unnecessary expensive courses and seminars.

Conclusion: we start working in general practice even before choosing our favorite direction. This choice occurs most often in the process of practical work.

Myth No. 3. You're not the smartest - it's too early to start consulting.

When I first started studying psychology, everything seemed simple. There is a consulting algorithm, my personal experience and desire to help people - it seemed that this was enough. I was even sure that it was all easy, and I could easily become a better psychologist. But the more I studied, the more often I remembered Socrates. If he already knows that he doesn’t know anything, what to say about me. I took courses after courses, but the more I studied, the more it seemed that I still knew little.

Each time the algorithm was repeated. “Now I will take a course in perinatal psychology (transactional analysis, CBT, coaching, clinical psychology, family counseling, Ericksonian hypnosis, NLP, eating behavior correction...), and immediately after that I will begin to actively work, promote myself and consult. But every time during my training, I realized that I still did not have enough experience, knowledge, regalia and qualifications to be a real psychologist.

And now my 3 diplomas, a stack of certificates and certificates are gathering dust on the shelf, and my “colleagues” who have a certificate of completion of two-month courses in “practical psychology” are calmly working and advising people like me, guardians of the inner saboteur.

Of course, I don’t encourage you to emulate the above-mentioned, but it’s worth learning courage from them. After all, knowledge that does not find practical application is lost. You can read as much as you like about how to sew, but you can only learn how to do it with a needle in your hands.

The only place where you can truly learn how to consult is in the consultation itself. Not a single seminar, not a single training will teach you to hear the client and feel what will help him at the moment. Knowledge, skills and training are important, of course. When a person starts going to the gym, it is extremely important to know how to use the equipment, lift the barbell correctly and squat, without this knowledge you can harm your health. But you will never make your figure more toned with only this knowledge and without exercising regularly. Both knowledge and regular practice are important. And for the best and fastest results, you can use the services of a trainer. In consulting practice, these are experienced colleagues, supervisors, and mentors.

Conclusion: we accept our imperfections and start working. And if you feel uncertainty, fear or doubt, ask for help!

Myth No. 4. If you are scared, it’s too early to start counseling.

And so I finally realized that it was pointless to procrastinate and it was time to start working. I put social networks in order, registered on psychological sites, placed ads no worse than others, indicated an adequate price, but for some reason there was no line of clients. They don’t come, they don’t call, they don’t write. For a long time I could not understand why. It turned out that I myself do everything so that they don’t come to me. I accidentally forgot to send an answer to a potential client, answered questions in such a way as to scare them away in some way during the communication, my voice sounded uncertain and seemed to be calling: “It’s better to find a more experienced psychologist, I’m an amateur, I’m unlikely to be able to help you!”

If you know this feeling, you are far from alone! Most likely, you, like many others, are hindered by fear.

Think about what exactly you are afraid of?

The most common fears:

I will not be able to help the client or may even cause harm;
lack of proper education;
it is inconvenient to take money;
the client will be dissatisfied and will not come again;
I’m already 30 (40, 50...), it’s too late to start;
there are many more experienced specialists around;
difficult to find clients;
I don’t know everything, I can’t answer any question.

Whatever you are afraid of, it is important to realize that fear is completely normal. Even good. For specialists of various professions, fear is a wonderful feeling that allows you to develop, strive to be better, and work on yourself. Many people are afraid to speak in public, communicate with significant people, or do something new.

And even great people experience fear. Do you know that Napoleon Bonaparte once, when he went out to his army and wanted to make a speech to the soldiers, he fainted?

If you are familiar with the feeling of fear, then I suggest, firstly, to rejoice. This means that you are an adequate person. And, secondly, if you are really sure that this is the activity that you want to do, then try to switch the focus from yourself to clients. After all, you want to help people, and not treat yourself for their money, right?

If so, then it’s time to gain experience and become the best specialist for your clients.

Conclusion: remember that it is normal to be afraid, and shift the focus to customers.

No person is born a qualified specialist, with experience, credentials and a queue of clients. Everyone is once forced to take their first steps, try new activities, learn, overcome their fears and move forward. There are many people around who need qualified help and support. And, perhaps, right now, while you are sitting and afraid, they are looking for their specialist, very similar to you.

Just start, do, work!

Editorial opinion may not reflect the views of the author.
In case of health problems, do not self-medicate, consult your doctor.

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Many recent graduates of psychological universities ask this question: how can a psychologist start practicing? where is this even found?? Yes, of course, there are opportunities for volunteer work, there are social services, all this gives experience.

But the disadvantage of such an experience is that rarely does anyone help to sufficiently understand and digest this experience. After all, it is not enough to try to advise a person, you also need to realize what was not seen in the client’s situation, where it would be possible to quickly help the client realize something important, were there any mistakes, etc.?

And volunteer organizations most often cannot provide clear supervisory support, and practice for beginner psychologists looks like a Spartan from this perspective: if you swam, well done, if you didn’t swim, there’s nothing you can do to help.

Psychologist internship even during the period of writing a diploma, he can have supervisory support (if the university is able to provide this), but everywhere this number of hours for completing a psychologist’s internship at a university under supervision is very limited. After all, there are many students, and it is difficult to devote a lot of time to everyone.

And then, like this practice for beginner psychologists limited by the academic schedule, work cannot be carried out until the student feels more or less confident enough to declare himself as an independent specialist.

Many psychologists look for supervisors themselves, which is correct, but supervisors, in turn, are not eager to provide novice psychologists with clients: most private practitioners and centers have established some kind of client flow, which still requires effort to maintain.

And therefore, practice for beginning psychologists often comes down to administrative, marketing and other work not related to consulting itself. What disappoints many of yesterday's students: there is a lot of work, but they still cannot get closer to consulting.

For real and paid work, you need experience, and even if you have it, you still have to invest a lot in yourself - in personal therapy, and in supervision, and in additional seminars, etc. And in order to be able to invest, you need to earn something. And no one takes you without experience. And the question " how to start practicing as a psychologist? spinning in a vicious circle...

Knowing this whole situation first-hand, from the inside, I suggest that aspiring psychologists combine the opportunity for postgraduate training with the opportunity to find real practice, gain experience and have the opportunity to comprehend it.

In our project we have free preliminary consultations - for example, a forum, there are promotions with consultations by e-mail, free of charge, with discounts and much more that could become practice for novice psychologists, provide material for supervision, first of all.

As your level increases, you will have the opportunity to join our team and receive paid clients, i.e. start working for money. At first you will still have to continue to work under supervision, but over time your expenses will decrease and your income will increase.

By and large, practice for beginning psychologists consists of work under supervision, but here you have a real opportunity not only to learn how to work, but also to immediately find a professional niche in which you can continue your work, rather than looking for clients from scratch , again investing, for example, in your own website or in replies on forums where competition is very high.

You will also have the opportunity to undergo personal therapy, which, in my opinion, is necessary in order not only to start practicing as a psychologist, but also to work effectively in the future, increasing your level.

Each potential person wishing to undergo internship and training with subsequent job opportunities will be able to choose an individual program of action - when, what, how much and at what pace.

This opportunity also does not imply a strict work schedule, and therefore can be perfectly combined with some other work, which for now can support you financially and give you the opportunity to start practicing as a psychologist, investing at first in continuing your education.

Online psychologist: distance learning and work

As you have already noticed, our project specializes in remote consultations. And so distance learning for psychologists will be of interest, first of all, to those who

In the future, he plans to work remotely, not wanting to be tied to the same place;
Wants to learn from specialists in different fields from different places, without limiting himself only to his city, to have a wider choice of both training and clients;
Who is inclined to write, and who is interested in promoting themselves in the future using texts (special master classes can be organized on this topic);
Who wants and is ready to master the whole variety of modern technologies and get to know each other computer.

Distance learning for psychologist in the format of our project will include the possibility of consultations with real clients, supervision, general intervisory and supervisory groups, personal therapy, master classes on writing texts, the basics of Internet marketing and self-presentation of a psychologist.

The program for each will be compiled individually, depending on the personal data, requests and capabilities of each.

What are the minimum requirements for such distance learning for a novice psychologist:

Completed psychological training
Willingness to complete a test task (answering client questions in writing)
At the initial stage – readiness for paid supervision and personal therapy
Interest in writing texts, stable literacy, good Russian language