From the couch to the screen: how have people's requests to psychologists changed?
The era of tedious introspection and lengthy conversations with psychologists "for life" is a thing of the past. Now people are interested in specific questions, not philosophical arguments — experts have come to this conclusion. At the same time, the number of requests to consultants increased by a third compared to last year. ""Izvestia" article describes how requests have changed, what solutions are offered to people, and which work format (remote or "eye to eye") is more convenient.
"There is no stability in the world"
Changes in requests are influenced by the perception of reality — people primarily want stability and security, but this is exactly what is missing now, emphasizes psychologist Yuri Kudryavtsev.
— People are uncomfortable, even if they are not directly involved in wars and are not responsible for economic and political crises. Therefore, there are more requests, and the requests will differ from the standard ones — there are more requests to reduce anxiety. Children's injuries also need to be dealt with in order to reduce what is bothering them right now," the expert explains.
Candidate of Psychological Sciences Alina Koroleva agrees with his opinion, recalling the Chinese wisdom "God forbid to live in an era of change."
— We live in a period of rapidly changing world, modernization of external conditions and rules. People are closer than before to death and face a high risk of death from violent causes. All this, at least, does not contribute to a sense of stability and security. If we used to plan our lives for years ahead, now in many matters the planning horizon has significantly narrowed," the "Izvestia" interlocutor points out.
Previously, according to her, people could compensate for their internal discomfort with external achievements. Bright successes helped to gain internal stability, and now this mechanism has almost stopped working.
Anna Guseva, a practicing psychologist, has compiled a rating for "Izvestia" of the problems that worry Russians in the first place:
— stress and anxiety. These feelings are fueled by negative information, uncertainty, and aggressive marketing.;
— low self-esteem. Social networks create a vibe (general mood) that there are only successful, beautiful and happy people around. People start comparing themselves to ideal characters, forgetting that self—esteem is how a person perceives himself, not the environment.;
— problems with personal relationships: family conflicts, loneliness, difficulties in communicating with the opposite sex;
— professional burnout. People work a lot, get tired and lose interest in their activities.;
— child-parent relations. Adults ask questions about how to raise a child, find a common language with him, and not harm him. Children are also brought to such sessions.
Specific requests
People have become more specific in expressing their requests, says Anna Guseva. Previously, they were looking for themselves and their place in the world, complaining about a certain feeling of emptiness, loneliness, lack of meaning in life, a state of "I do not know who I am," but now they are eager to solve specific problems, and with the help of effective tools and practices.
— Quite recently, many people complained: "Everything is bad for me, life is unfair, the state has deceived me." There are such requests now, but they are minimal. More often they say, "There is a specific problem, and I want to influence it." Let's say they ask how to overcome fear of the next performance, how to say no, how to get to know each other, like them, get an interview, and protect their personal boundaries," the psychologist lists.
People come to specialists with a clear request and even sometimes identify the processes happening to them themselves, the expert says. For example """"""""I have panic attacks", ""I can't force myself to work", ""I'm lazy a lot", "I have anxiety".
— Now we are seeing requests about the present and the future, but in practical terms. ""What should I do tomorrow?" "How can I improve my life now?" This is related to the time in which we live, when the world of instability is alarming, people want to gain support not in something indefinite, but in themselves," Guseva believes.
The practicing psychologist emphasizes that the need for warmth and regular support has not decreased. People want to speak out and "whine," but they are not looking for pity, but for help with the formulation of specific algorithms of action. Philosophy gave way to practice, and general reasoning gave way to concrete steps.
— This attitude of activism is a very important shift in our society. We often see that a person is not a victim, he is the author of his life," the editorial interlocutor points out. — It is important that he receives outside support in his work on himself — from friends, a psychologist, relatives, even from users of social networks where a person shares his changes.
Yuri Kudryavtsev confirms that clients, instead of reasoning, need the equivalent of instructions in order to have the necessary tools in their arsenal and be able to use them when needed. Such effective algorithms exist and can be tailored to the individual characteristics of each person, he believes.
— Clear requests for psychological work are indeed more common. In particular, because people's psychological literacy is growing and they are demanding psychologists based on their work results. Currently, clients are not focused on years of analytical work with unclear results, but prefer shorter—term methods of work with more predictable results," agrees Alina Koroleva.
Nevertheless, philosophical reflections are also enough, as at all times, psychologists say. But they sound in a new way.: how to accept what is happening, find yourself in today's conditions, etc.
— People strive to update meanings, to find new ones for themselves, so that they sound relevant in new circumstances, — explains the candidate of psychological Sciences. — It is necessary to address the topic of meanings in new circumstances in order to rise above the situation.
At the same time, conversations on the topic of child-parent relations have not gone anywhere either, but, according to Yuri Kudryavtsev, some people still do not even realize that current problems have roots in childhood traumas. Perhaps this is why such requests are not so common, but a conversation on this topic inevitably arises.
— Many adults with external independence (they live separately, have their own family, children, are financially independent) still have a parental voice. They continue to focus on the attitudes of moms and dads. And they are even secretly afraid of being evaluated by them, afraid of being rejected by them because of a wrong step. As a result, they make their choice based on the possible reaction of their parents. Moreover, this can happen so automatically that a person is not aware of the influence of parents on their adult life," explains the specialist.
But knowing that traumas were formed in childhood when interacting with parents is not the same as blaming them for all your problems, the psychologist emphasizes.
Online communication with a psychologist
An important point is that people are increasingly choosing online counseling with psychologists. According to Anna Guseva, the popularity of this format is not only due to convenience and unwillingness to get out of the house.
— We are all different: someone perceives the world visually, someone audibly, someone kinesthetically. It feels more difficult for some people to adapt and open up in a new place, even if it's a psychologist's office. It's more comfortable for them to make a call. It's also easier for audios to interact on the phone — this solves many issues related primarily to anxiety," says the "Izvestia" interlocutor.
Online, in her opinion, helps to remove the awkwardness that one way or another arises when communicating with a psychologist who has to pour out his soul. Sometimes it's easier to open up through the screen, without direct contact.
— Of course, this is a certain level of work for a specialist. Naturally, there are disadvantages: for example, there may be problems with the equipment. But, one way or another, we are working primarily to resolve the issue, and technical difficulties are also being solved," Guseva notes.
People quickly adapted to the online format, such consultations have become the norm - they are no worse than face—to-face consultations, especially since they can be recorded and continued to communicate on vacation or on a business trip, the specialist adds.
— And, of course, the psychological community is changing in accordance with new demands and technical changes.: we learn to listen, help others hear, give the necessary "tools" to work on ourselves, support, guide, — the expert believes.
The psychologists themselves, in her opinion, have gone through a rather difficult period of adaptation to the new practice. In 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, it turned out that not everyone knows how to work online. But now the situation has changed for the better.
— This trend is only gaining momentum among my colleagues. Online work is very convenient and does not differ in its benefits from face-to-face work. Such meetings are not only easier to organize, but also easier to enter therapy for a person who feels awkward or still doubts whether he needs to seek help, agrees Yuri Kudryavtsev.
"Online consultations" are indeed sometimes more comfortable for clients than "eye-to-eye" meetings, confirms the interlocutor of "Izvestia". And according to Alina Koroleva, remote meetings simply save one of the most expensive resources — time. You can spend at least three hours on the way to a specialist, worrying about the prospect of being late. And the alternative, in which you just need to turn on the computer at a specific time, looks very reasonable.
— When consulting online, the client feels comfortable because he is in a familiar environment. Well, nothing prevents a professional psychologist from establishing constructive psychotherapeutic contact, which is necessary for work, in any conditions. You can establish contact even through voice communication and live chat, if the client himself is motivated to work with a psychologist," the psychologist summarizes.
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