Ever wondered what psychologists do? Psychologists training involves understanding human behaviour, how our minds work, how we relate to emotions, how we relate to others, how we develop and maintain helpful behaviours and how we can change unhelpful behaviours
People can benefit from seeing a psychologist for all sorts of reasons, including neuro-developmental disorders like ADHD and ASD, mental health struggles like depression, anxiety and addiction. People also see psychologists to help them build skills such as mindfulness, social skills, assertiveness skills or anger management. It is also a great idea to see a psychologist if you are struggling with relationships, work or performance.
Tips to help you plan your study timetable
- Set up a big calendar and plan what assignments and exams are coming ahead. Make sure you have this calendar somewhere visible to refer to each day.
- For each subject, set a realistic time frame for study. How long will it take? Leading up to the exam, how many hours will you need to dedicate each day and week to each subject?
- Break this down even further by mapping out what each block of study per subject will look like. Will you tackle one topic in each study block?
- Determine if you will limit study to the week or also include weekend days. If you thrive on pressure, you might consider limiting study to weekdays so you will be more motivated to get study done in a short time frame. This will also allow you to recuperate over the weekends.
- How can you spread this out in the upcoming weeks so you can tend to all the subjects?
- Start with the most difficult and challenging subjects and topics first.
What does a psychologist do?
When you see a psychologist, the clinician will observe and asks questions to get a thorough understanding of your difficulties. The psychologist will then, with your help and expertise, come up with a collaborative formulation of your difficulties and discuss treatment options with you based on your goals.
Questions to ask a psychologist
You may feel uneasy about speaking to a ‘stranger’ about your personal concerns. However, hopefully when you meet your psychologist, they will put you at ease by being warm, non-judgmental and accepting.
Some useful questions to ask in the first session are:
- How can you help me?
- How many sessions will I need?
- How often do I need to see you?
- What treatment approach would you recommend?
