My article is for those who are going to their first meeting with a psychologist. In this article I talk about how to choose a psychologist for yourself, what to pay attention to - “How to find your psychologist” And now you have already chosen and are going to your first meeting. More than once I have seen posts on a psychological forum when fears and questions arise before the first meeting. I decided to share my thoughts about what I consider to be an important point if you are turning to a psychologist for the first time. I often hear questions such as how long will the therapy last? How long does it take to solve my problem? At the first meeting, the psychologist does not yet know enough about you and your problem, so most likely he will not be able to answer the question about the duration of therapy. And that's okay. If a psychologist answers you that “10 sessions of sessions will help you,” this is most likely not true or something else is meant. More details in this article - “Personal growth or treatment?” You can arrange several trial meetings - as a result of which, the psychologist will learn more about your problem and understand how to work with it, and you will determine whether this psychologist is suitable for you, whether you want to work with him continue. At the first meeting, you meet the psychologist and talk about what is bothering you. And together with a specialist, you try to formulate a request - this is what you would like, what changes. If you want another person (husband, wife, mother, boss) to change, then a psychologist will not be able to help you with this. At psychological meetings it is possible to work with a person’s inner world, his experiences, thoughts, views, choices. Therefore, a psychologist can work with requests about your internal changes, and not influence your environment. Pay attention to your feelings and emotions during the meeting - how comfortable are you communicating with this specialist? Is there a desire to open up? Do you feel interested in yourself? Is the psychologist friendly? Can the psychologist hear you? If the answers to these questions are affirmative, then you should check your expectations - tell the psychologist how you imagine psychological work and ask the psychologist how he works? Clarifying expectations is an important thing, as a result of which you will better understand what is required of you and what the psychologist will and will not do. If you want to continue working with this specialist, then you can arrange a next meeting. Do not forget about your convenience - offer the time that suits you. Everything that a psychologist offers you is “not the ultimate truth”; you can always refuse or offer something of your own. Until you voice your disagreements or suggestions, no one will know about it - the psychologist does not “read thoughts”. I will be happy to answer your questions in new articles and notes. If you liked the material and it turned out to be useful for you, then I will be grateful for “like”. See you in new articles! I sometimes make videos in which I answer questions. You can ask any questions you are interested in in a personal message or in the comments to this article, and I will answer the most interesting ones in my videos! Subscribe to my new publications! I invite psychologists to supervisory groups: 1. Online on Mondays from 12 to 152. Online on Wednesdays from 11 to 143. In person in Moscow