Sometimes people ask why it is necessary to visit a Psychologist. The question one should rather ask, is what happens during psychotherapy or a visit to a Psychologist?
The quick answer to this is that Psychologists assist patients to achieve optimal psychological well-being. It is common practice to agree on a patient-specific therapeutic intervention plan, which sometimes requires psychological assessments. For children a psychological assessment is inevitable in most cases.
A personal experience may have affected your optimal functioning across various settings in your life. It is like getting a flu virus which affects your optimal functioning and you need to see your medical doctor to get better.
More or less the same happens when you visit a Psychologist. Together with the Psychologist/Psychotherapist you are seeking solutions to the presenting psychological life challenges you have. Sometimes it will be necessary to refer you to another healthcare professional to get medication for your specific challenge and together with Psychotherapy you may find resources to take control over your normal life events again.
Various techniques in Psychotherapy are used to assist you to find the answers yourself to challenges you may experience in your life, with appropriate guidance from your therapist. Sometimes it is needed to do some assessments to assist you to understand yourself and your presenting challenge better.
Mr Engelbrecht is a registered Educational Psychologist, as well as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP), and has been trained in various Psychotherapeutic techniques.