Psychological Counselor
At times, with all of its ups and downs, life can feel little like a roller coaster. People in general are emotional creatures. Feeling happy, enamored, sad, angry, and scared is normal, and these emotions are part of what makes us human. At times, however, these emotions – particularly the negative ones – can be overwhelming and take on a life of their own.
Counseling psychology is a type of applied psychology that can be used to help people gain control of their feelings. This type of psychology focuses on treating individuals with a variety of different emotional, behavioral, and social problems or disorders. Long with clinical psychology, counseling psychology is one of the most common and widespread psychological specialties.
What Does a Counseling Psychologist Do?
A cognitive psychologist’s goal is often to help his patients overcome their negative thoughts and emotions. In general, a psychologist will try to treat patients with a variety of different problems, including depression and anxiety. Those looking to pursue counseling psychology careers, however, can also choose to specialize in certain areas, like grief counseling or vocational stress. The number of patients that a counseling psychologist works with at one time can also vary. Some only work with their patients on a one-on-one situation, while others may work with small groups of people.
The majority of counseling psychologists interact with their patients each and every day. They are often presented with a wide range of mental and emotional problems that people face every day.
In order to treat their patients, counseling psychologists will typically create a comfortable and inviting atmosphere. They should also be understanding and non-judgmental, so that patients will open up to them. Cognitive psychologists will then encourage their patients to talk about their feelings and behaviors, possibly asking questions occasionally. By getting to know their patients, cognitive psychologists can then work to help them deal with and remedy their problems.
