Ten Tips For Recognizing A Bad Psychologist

Receiving psychological therapy has many benefits for the quality of life, both physically and mentally. However, there are some professionals who engage in harmful or unethical practices. For this reason, it is important to learn to recognize a bad psychologist. Consequently, you will avoid being subjected to poor treatment.

There are bad psychologists all over the world and in different environments. Sometimes it is actually not easy to spot them. Furthermore, psychological malpractice can have many negative effects on mental health. In this article, we will teach you some of the signs that will tell you that it’s time to change therapists.

How to recognize a bad psychologist

Starting a process of psychological therapy can significantly increase your overall well-being. In therapy, you actually have the opportunity to go deeper into your emotional world and externalize your inner conflicts. You also discover and develop personal resources to deal with situations that plague you in your life. In addition, it is a form of self-care that increases your self-esteem.

However, all of these benefits depend on two factors. First, the patient’s disposition. Second, the therapist’s ability. If one of the two fails, it will be extremely difficult to get successful results. In fact, a professional who practices errors will not be able to generate any change in the patient. Therefore, it becomes a complete waste of time and money.

If you want to increase the chances of good results with a psychotherapist, you need to know how to recognize a bad one. While this can be difficult if you do not have training in this field, it is not impossible. In fact, there are always clear signs that a professional is not doing their job properly.

It should be noted that when a psychologist does not appear to behave as they should, it is not always a reflection of their lack of knowledge or skills. Nor does it mean that they have bad intentions. In fact, there are many factors that can explain why a professional does not practice the best actions for the patient / client.

Eight danger signals for a bad psychologist

Psychologists in each country organize their work according to different ethical and legal codes. For this reason, it is a good idea to be aware of the laws governing psychology in your own country. This way you know if your therapist is working in accordance with the established guidelines. The following danger signs will help you identify a bad psychologist.

1. They perform pseudoscientific practices

Pseudoscience is understood as any discipline that lacks verifiable scientific evidence. An example is homeopathic medicine whose effectiveness has never been confirmed. In the same way, in psychology, there are practices without solid foundations. For example graphology, family constellations and NLP.

Let’s look at graphology for example. Dazzi and Pedrabissi published a study evaluating the validity of this practice. For this purpose, they administered the five-factor model (a personality test) to 101 university students. They also asked students for a selection of neutral writing (without personal information).

The manuscripts were submitted to two graphologists for analysis. The researchers then compared the results with the results from the five-factor model questionnaire. There were no correlations between the handwriting evaluations and the personality test.

In summary, this research shows that graphology lacks empirical validity. The same applies to other practices without experimental evidence. Therefore, you should be aware of any professional who promotes this type of treatment. In fact, it can be dangerous to your health.

2. They make inappropriate comments about other patients

Psychologists should always respect the confidentiality of their patients. All information provided by patients in a consultation is in fact private. Therefore, if a therapist is trying to give you information about their other patients, you should be extremely careful because they may do the same to you.

3. They are trying to impose their faith on you

The psychologist’s job is not to judge patients’ lives based on their personal beliefs or experience. In fact, the psychologist’s work should be characterized by objectivity. This means that their value system should never interfere. Even if they have completely different views than the client, they should always respect the client’s opinions.

Therefore, if your psychologist during treatment does not show respect for your beliefs or values, and they try to impose theirs on you, stop it. It does not matter what principles you have, there is no reason for them to be questioned. In fact, doing so is considered completely unethical.

4. They cross professional boundaries

The therapeutic alliance is defined as the bond that the psychologist and the patient establish to achieve the treatment goals. This is a purely professional relationship where the therapist’s feelings should not interfere. Yet this happens sometimes.

For example, if your psychologist claims to be attracted to you, you need to know that this is always inappropriate. In fact, it develops the development of emotions for a patient beyond the clinical environment that the professional relationship continues. In fact, your partner may not be your psychologist, just as your boss may not be your lawyer if you decide to sue the company you work for.

Furthermore, it represents a form of abuse. This is because the psychologist is in a position of power due to their technical knowledge and the patient’s personal history. Consequently, it is a form of aggression to exploit that position to satisfy one’s desires.

5. They do not give the necessary attention to you

A good psychologist practices active listening when serving a client. This means focusing all their senses on understanding the client’s problem with all its emotional nuances.

If you find that your therapist is constantly distracted while you are there, it may be better to switch. For example, it is not a good sign if they are looking at your mobile phone while you are talking or if they are interrupting you to talk about other things.

6. They show a lack of empathy

In psychology, empathy is the ability to understand the feelings and thoughts of others. It is widely understood that empathy is crucial to the success of psychotherapy. Furthermore, there is evidence for this claim.

Gimeno Peón (2015) developed a study in which he evaluated the relationship between the therapist’s empathy and psychotherapeutic results. The results showed that patients whose position had been better perceived greater empathy from their psychologists.

If during the psychotherapy process you feel that your therapist does not understand your problem, underestimates your feelings or judges you, be careful. In fact, a lack of empathy is one of the clear signs of a bad psychologist. You must remember that psychotherapy consultation is a room where understanding and listening are important.

7. Delays

It is understandable that a psychologist can sometimes be late for an appointment due to factors beyond their control, such as traffic or an emergency. But if they often arrive late for appointments and make trivial apologies, you have the right to point it out.

Remember that your time, as well as theirs, is valuable, and being late is disrespectful. A good professional should try to be on time for all your classes.

8. They do not communicate well

An important part of the success of psychotherapeutic intervention concerns the quality of therapist-patient and client communication. It must be clear and honest at all times. In this way, there should be no verbal interpretations.

Clarity must take precedence over ambiguity. In addition, it is important that both parties abide by the agreements they sign verbally.

Therefore, if your therapist announces that for your next session they have prepared a new activity without explaining it properly to you, you are in a position to consider whether they are doing it for their own purposes. In fact, any intervention is of little use if it is not adapted to each individual’s circumstances, or if it is insufficiently planned.

What do you do if you have a bad psychologist?

If you can identify several of the items on this list, your therapist may be practicing unethically. In this situation, you can take the initiative and let them know. However, you are also free to end the process and find another professional.

Finally, now that you know how to recognize a bad psychologist, you are unlikely to fall victim to one. Remember that your mental health is valuable. For this reason, it deserves to be in the hands of a professional who knows how to help you and is willing to do so.