8 advantages and disadvantages of being a psychologist
All professions have their advantages and disadvantages, and Psychology is no exception. Dedicating oneself to this exciting discipline is a way to go through moments that make everything worthwhile thanks to the personal and professional satisfaction they produce. However, there are also specific moments that are frustrating or tedious.
It is important, before considering whether to undertake this training and professional path, if our preferences, motivations and objectives fit well with what the profession offers us. Therefore, it is good to know the best and the worst of being a psychologist .
The advantages and disadvantages of engaging in Psychology
Clearly, the advantages and disadvantages of engaging in psychology are something that depends on one’s personal opinions and subjectivity, but broadly speaking they are as follows.
The advantages of being a psychologist
Among the good things about working in psychology, there are several things that have to do with both what happens in real time in the therapy and counselling or training sessions and with others that occur outside the sessions.
1. It allows us to see in the improvement of others the fruit of our own work
Psychologists very often have great reason to rejoice: the consequences of their work benefit someone directly, and translate into lasting happiness that one can see for oneself. This is something that happens with very few professions.
2. Offers flexible schedules
If you don’t work in a company, psychologists can come to have a freedom of schedule that is grateful . In addition, the possibility of doing therapy online means that sessions do not have to be cancelled if a patient or client goes out of town or is on a trip.
3. Always gives excuse to keep learning
Psychology is a young field, so it develops very quickly. That is why those who work in this field are always in contact with very interesting sources of knowledge about human behavior: seminars, conferences, books, scientific articles… All of them can be relevant for the profession , dealing with subjects as different as biology, philosophy, neurology , learning, etc.
4. It allows you to learn techniques to apply to yourself
Having a therapist who advises and directs us externally is never the same as not having one, but by knowing various principles, theories and techniques, psychologists have more ways of adapting to the circumstances that appear in their own lives , on the one hand, and are less likely to fall into harmful beliefs about mental processes, personal problems and behaviour patterns that they themselves manifest from time to time.
The drawbacks of engaging in Psychology
We have already seen several of the advantages offered by the profession of psychology. Let’s go now to that not-so-gentle side of this job.
1. The doubts based on the following criterion
The profession of psychologists usually goes hand in hand with meaningful and intense experiences, since in most cases they constantly deal with people of all kinds. Moreover, the type of relationship that is established between the psychology professional and those with whom he interacts (whether patients, clients or subjects on whom he intervenes psychologically) can become emotionally charged, which is usually the case in professional environments.
After all, psychologists never fail to empathize. That’s why sometimes one may doubt whether certain actions are performed from a professional criterion or from a personal one, based on emotion.
2. Finding time to search for clients
If offering the services of psychological intervention already consumes enough time, money and effort, the task of finding clients must be added to that.
This is aggravated by the fact that this is often a task that is not foreseen by psychologists, who have been trained for several years with the idea of having to invest all their skills in therapeutic intervention and education and awareness programmes. Developing a marketing plan can be somewhat complicated , and time must be found for it.
3. Labour intrusion
Unfortunately, both in Spain and in many other Spanish-speaking countries the profession of psychology is not very well regulated by law , which means that there is a lot of labour intrusion. There are people who, having done weekend coaching courses, believe that they can give psychotherapy.
This has disastrous results for everyone: clients are harmed by spending time and money on something that doesn’t work and can even cause them to skip really effective treatments; psychologists are deprived of a part of their market, and fake therapists end up being rained on by complaints.
4. Prejudices about psychologists
Many people believe that psychologists are always practicing as such , which means, on the one hand, that any friend, family member or friend of a friend can ask them for free therapy, and on the other hand, that they are always trying to “read people’s minds”. Obviously none of this is true, but sometimes it can be quite annoying for people in the immediate environment to assume these mistaken beliefs.