What is a Psychologist Like?

When asked this question, my initial reaction was, “What do you mean? How long is a piece of string? What is a builder, a lawyer, or a marketing manager like?” But then I placed myself in the shoes of those who might not be familiar with psychologists. Some people may have never crossed paths with one. They might picture a straight-laced, dull, fluffy older person with a notepad and pen, encouraging you to lie on a couch while sliding a box of tissues across the table.

Diversity Galore: A psychologist might very well be a straight-laced, dull, fluffy older person with a notepad and pen (I still use a notepad and pen… sparingly), but psychologists come from all walks of life. In my time, I’ve met psychologists from wealth and less economically fortunate backgrounds, people with tattoos, recovered alcoholics and drug addicts, former combat soldiers, mums and dads… diversity galore.

Common Traits: That said, one common trait among the “best” ones (and yes, this is subjective) is an ability to meet their clients where they’re at. They possess a tremendous amount of empathy and compassion and a seriously good ability to build rapport and connection. If the connection isn’t there, they have enough insight and self-confidence to suggest someone better placed to support the person in front of them. Yes, this does happen—we simply cannot always be the best fit for everyone.

Confidentiality and Ethics: All psychologists should adhere to strict ethical guidelines to ensure client confidentiality and professional integrity. This is very important to any psychologist worth their weight in salt.

Psychologists Have Perfect Lives: DEFINITELY NOT! If you find one with a perfect life, please point me in their direction. We are all, psychologists included, a little messy at times.

Psychologists DO NOT have ALL the answers: Psychologists often specialise or have specific target areas. Some work in fields like clinical or counselling psychology, others focus on areas like sports, neuro, or forensic psychology. But remember, they don’t know everything about human thought, emotion, and behaviour. They’re ‘experts’ in their domains, not all-knowing beings. If a psychologist claims to know it all, be wary – God complex much?

Therapy Ain’t So Bad, After All: Yes, therapy can be hard work – getting to the bottom of what’s not going great in your life and/or pursuing growth can stir up emotions, which is absolutely okay! But many clients I’ve spoken to, and many of my colleagues have heard similar stories, say that by the end of therapy, they realise they had built it up to be much more daunting in their minds. It often feels more like a chat than they’d imagined. That is, once they find the right fit for them! Be patient and persistent to find the right fit – you CAN shop around.