Tips for choosing the right psychologist to avoid crime

There are many conversations about the case of a fake psychologist who reportedly harassed his client. To avoid this, there are some tips for choosing the right psychologist and how to avoid the crimes that arise from therapy sessions between clients and psychologists.

Tips for Choosing the Right Psychologist

Indah Sundari Jayanti M.Psi., A psychologist, a psychologist and one of the founders Aditi Psychological Center provides tips on choosing and ensuring the credibility of a psychologist. According to him, before choosing a psychologist, first understand what psychological help you need.

Everyone has many different reasons to consult a mental health professional. Researchers at National Aliance of Mental Illnes wrote in his research that to deal with mental health there are at least two separate professionals, one focused on medicine (the biological side) and the other focused on emotional or behavioral therapy (the mind side).

Psychologists and psychiatrists alike can treat mental disorders with therapy. Both of them understand how the brain, emotions, feelings, and thoughts work.

The difference is, a psychologist is not a medical doctor. Psychologists are experts in the field of mental health. Meanwhile, psychiatrists are medical doctors who have graduated from a medical degree who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses.

Psychologists diagnose problems experienced by patients through their personality, behavior patterns, behaviors and habits, manner of speaking, and through the stories you tell. Meanwhile, psychiatrists diagnose patients through physical medicine, including the work of the human brain and nerves.

If you are worried about choosing a psychiatrist or psychologist, try to consult and ask your doctor for advice first.

If you have confirmed your need to go to a psychologist, then pay attention to some of these tips for choosing a competent psychologist and avoiding fake psychologists.

1. Make sure the psychologist you choose has a psychologist degree

A person is declared a psychologist if he has passed the undergraduate psychology education (S1) and the professional psychology masters (S2) linearly. What can be seen whether a person is a psychologist or not is from the title behind his name that a psychologist has the title M.Psi., Psychologist.

Indah explained, if a person has only taken a bachelor's degree in psychology, he cannot be called a psychologist, he is only a bachelor of psychology. Or if someone is only a master of psychology but not linear with his undergraduate education then he is also not a psychologist.

Men who are talked about on social media did not go through education to become a psychologist. From his profile spread on social media, the man pursued an undergraduate education with a bachelor's degree in economics, a master's degree in management, a doctorate with a doctorate degree.

"If it is not linear, he is only a scientist in the field of psychology, maybe a lecturer in the psychology faculty or researching psychology, but he has no right to practice as a psychologist," he said.

"To be a psychologist, you must have specificity certification, not just having a course or having studied. Must have professional certification, "said Indah.

2. Has a license or license to practice and is registered with HIPMI

To further ensure the validity of choosing a psychologist, Indah provides advice to check the psychologist's license or license to practice.

"Then you can check whether he has a license or license to practice psychology and a member number that is officially registered with HIMPSI," said Indah.

The Indonesian Psychological Association (HIMPSI) is the only official institution that has the authority to grant certificates and permission to practice psychology (SIPP) for psychologists.

To be able to check the officiality of this practice, Indah said that prospective clients can directly ask for the certification or check it at SIK HIMPSI.

3. Check reviews and content

To ensure the credibility of a psychologist, Indah also advises to check with psychology bureaus or psychology consultants where the psychologist practices.

"You can check it on social media, you can also check it on google. Now the information is easy to find, "he said.

He explained that a good psychology bureau is likely to fill its website or social media with positive content, of course, from clear sources.

"If he posts information, the source must be clear, including data, facts, and basic knowledge. It is not just telling or providing content, but the source and basis are not clear, ”said Indah.

Psychology bureaus that can be ascertained reliable are also registered with HIMPSI. However, Indah also said that there were several psychology bureaus that were credible but not registered with HIMPSI. This is due to several things, for example the list has expired and has not been updated or extended.