Career gained more exposure with the impact of covid-19 around the world, as it brought mental health to the center of discussion
or psychologist’s day it is celebrated every year a August 27 in Brazil. It was on this date, in 1962, that João Goulart, then president of the country, regulated the profession at the national level (Law No. 4.119). But, only in 2016, was it officially celebrated.
The impact of covid-19 has been an important and current point that has given even more visibility to the importance of psychology, as it has brought mental health to the center of discussions. Only in the first year of the pandemic, diseases such as anxiety and depression increased by 25% according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
And, as in any career, in psychology, even professionals willing to study and practice it face many challenges, but are soon rewarded by the pleasures and satisfactions of a job well done.
It was with this in mind that we spoke to five specialists in the sector, working in Brasilia and São Paulo, to find out what are the greatest challenges and pleasures of the profession from their point of view and their experience.
Bruna Capozzi
Over the course of nearly 14 years of training, I have worked in two different areas of psychology, making changes to the agenda and creating a way of doing things that complement each other. Both the organizational area and the clinic have their own delights and challenges, and the two come together when we talk about the main client: the people. I like to talk about these two areas of activity because psychology is a profession that opens many doors, as we have the opportunity to work in practically all areas, after all working with human behavior is something present in almost all areas.
The clinical care work for teens and adults has been incredible in allowing us to see how people change during the therapeutic process. Any self-discovery process can be quite challenging for people and being able to support this process is very rewarding. I believe that the new findings and evidence of the treatment are very interesting for our studies and I love studying! Psychology has a lot to do with me because it is this science that wants to know things, show support and dedication to others, want to understand people’s behaviors and motivations and look at the potential of individuals.
And this work can be difficult due to the lack of appreciation of psychology in society. Many people still have prejudices when they seek a psychologist because they think others will say they are “crazy”. This stigma is very bad for the spread of the profession. It is still necessary to invest in expanding access to the service and also in understanding that therapy is essential for the care of people’s mental health.
Another major challenge is being a liberal professional and having an often unstable and lonely performance. Understanding that you need to be an entrepreneur in relation to your business is an important leap in perception of the service provided and the future of acting as a psychologist. I started working with Human Resources even before graduation, during my university internships. I continue to work in this area, with the development of the most important assets for the company I work for: the employees.
It is rewarding to have the opportunity to work with strategies and initiatives that allow you to demonstrate the appreciation and value that each professional has for the organization. For me it is something that delights for the amount of possibilities and new paths that can be created, considering the constant transformation of people, culture and the organization as a whole.
There are challenges for this performance, because the actions and behaviors we think can not always be put into practice based on other needs of the company and this can be very frustrating. Another challenge is the number of actors involved in the implementation of the actions, it is not always possible to get the involvement of the leaders and without this sponsorship it is difficult to implement important programs and actions. Being a psychologist is something that is part of me, of my way of being in the world and that is fascinating!
Larissa Afiune
As the profession is growing more and more, and our society is opening up to the new, it is still a challenge to deal with the stigma that “therapy is crazy”, “that is money down the drain” and “that the only thing a psychologist does is sit and listen “. Many people still have these limiting beliefs and our role includes changing this perception, but I confess it is very difficult. This for me is the biggest challenge, because we still have others, such as studying and updating, doing therapy, supervision and other things too, but it’s all a pleasure to do.
And the greatest joy is being able to practice such a beautiful profession and being able to promote change in people’s lives. Be a tool for them to write new stories.
Alessandro Bez
It is basically a very pleasant profession, but the treatments take time for the patient to see the results, it is up to the professional to know how to treat him, have the skills to carry out the treatment and make the patient understand his mistakes and he himself sees the way to go through, moving on to improvement, and this is the greatest difficulty of the profession, make sure that the patient has this understanding with him even without you having to decide what to do. The psychologist does not give orders to the patient, he makes the patient understand what attitudes he should take.
The psychologist also helps a lot in the treatment of anxiety, because it is something that has no cure, so you will always have to be in “maintenance” with the professional you choose to go down this path. Endogenous depression is also a problem that will always be present in psychotherapeutic consultations, as it is a much larger depressive disorder. The panic syndrome, the psychologist is also fully qualified to cure, because it is a totally treatable syndrome, but it is a long job.
But you see, the fact that a person has a degree in psychology does not prevent him from having a psychopathology himself. The same psychologist is also recommended to do psychotherapy sessions so that he can be measured and prepared to take care of other people. The psychologist must be an unharmed, completely neutral, apolitical professional, the psychologist is forbidden to enter into matters beyond the clinical scope. It is very important to have emotional tact and lightness in the soul to be a psychologist.
Nathalia by Maurício Mundim
Among the delights of the profession, I believe that walking with the patient and perceiving with him the process of maturation and growth, which took place in the psychotherapeutic process, is one of the greatest satisfactions I have in this profession.
Among the challenges is not getting involved, mixing one’s emotional needs with the requests of patients. Having a genuine listening, without criticism or judgment, with life stories so different from ours.
Andreia Carvalho
I prefer to start on the challenge side. Among them there is always an attempt to show people that going to the psychologist is as important as going to the doctor for an annual checkup, getting an eye examination … Going to the psychologist is trying to understand yourself. It is necessary to demystify that psychotherapy “is only for insane”, it is for everyone. Trying to break the core beliefs created by childhood. Generally the previous generation thought that it was necessary to solve their problems on their own, passing them on to current generations, making many feel guilty for having sought a professional who would help emotionally in a difficult time in life.
It is also difficult for professionals to enter the clinic by prior arrangement, their remuneration is greatly underestimated and there are still problems with transfers. Being seen as something done out of love, the profession is still our job and should be valued like other professions.
Delights, easier to talk about. To feel that you are helping someone, to notice their evolution in treatment every day is wonderful. During the process, the person is difficult to perceive, but when she changes, way of thinking, acting, she feels more confident … she is rewarding for everyone. Being able to discharge a patient knowing that he is ready with the tools to face the challenges is rewarding. Learning from new cases, being in constant study, also evolving personally and professionally. Working with what you love, feeling empathy for each other … I am proud of the profession I have chosen. By acting ethically and with a lot of work, it’s refreshing to see every life change for the better.
Source: Terra
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