Psychology, what it is all about? | CBT Kenya

Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Research in psychology seeks to understand and explain how people think, act, and feel. Throughout psychology’s history, various schools of thought have formed to explain the human mind and behavior. There are psychologists who help solve crimes and there are plenty of professionals who help people deal with mental health issues. However, there are also psychologists who contribute to creating healthier workplaces. Other psychologists investigate topics such as airplane safety, computer design, and military life. Either way, their primary goals are to help describe, explain, predict, and influence human behavior.

Goals of Psychology

• Describe. Describing a behavior or cognition is the first goal of psychology. This can enable researchers to develop general laws of human behavior. By understanding what is happening, psychologists can then work on learning more about why the behavior happens and even how to change it.
• Explain. Once researchers have described general laws behavior, the next step is to explain how or why this trend occurs. Psychologists will propose theories which can explain a behavior. Why do people do the things they do? What factors contribute to development, personality, social behavior, and mental health problems?
• Predict. Psychology aims to be able to predict future behavior from the findings of empirical research. If a prediction is not confirmed, then the explanation it is based on might need to be revised. Successfully predicting behavior is also one of the best ways to know if we understand the underlying causes of our actions. It allows psychologists to make guesses about human behavior without necessarily understanding the mechanisms underlying the phenomena.
• Change. Once psychology has described, explained and made predictions about behavior, changing or controlling a behavior can be attempted. From treating mental illness to enhancing human well-being, changing human behavior is a huge focus of psychology.

Responsibilities of Being a Psychologist

• Psychologists routinely use tests and assessment to aid in diagnosing a mental health condition for a patient. These tests help get a basic understanding of the connections between someone’s thoughts and feelings.
• Some people turn to psychologists for help getting through traumatic life experiences. The death of a close family member or friend, for instance, may motivate people to find grief counseling. Psychologists can help people sort through their feelings as the go through the stages of grief.
• Clinical psychologists also offer long-term counsel for people suffering from more chronic mental health disorders. Diagnosing the patient’s condition and then treating it with the appropriate therapeutic methods are common practice. Psychologists commonly meet with patients once a week or every two weeks to review progress and discuss challenges.
• Typically, one of the first things a psychologist does with a new patient is help him to set goals for treatment. Someone combating substance abuse may have a variety of goals. For example staying clean or sober for a certain amount of time, ending relationships with problematic people and getting or keeping a job. Staying up-to-date on current research and therapeutic practices helps the psychologist to assist patients in setting manageable goals and working toward them.
• The primary treatment offered by psychologists is therapy. Psychotherapy includes individual, couples, family and group sessions. For example, group therapies are used as a way to generate mutual support among people struggling with similar challenges. Facilitating these sessions and getting patients to open up are normal psychologist functions.

Types of Psychology

• Clinical Psychology. In this type of psychology, the study is aimed at relieving stress or dysfunction that is triggered due to various psychological reasons. This results in personal development and emotional and physical well-being. The professionals use specially designed and adapted therapy models to generate therapeutic alliance. The subsequent exploration of psychological problems helps to identify and apply new thought and behavior modes.
• Abnormal Psychology. The aim is to understand the shift in nature and abnormal interactive patterns adopted by an individual. It uses psychopathology and clinical psychology to research on the causes behind psychological disorders.
• Biological Psychology. The aim is to understand the function of the brain with regards to different psychological triggers and processes. Biological psychology links human behavior with the brain to study the areas within the brain connected with certain reactions.
• Comparative Psychology. It provides comparisons to ascertain traits and prove evolutionary links. Studying animal behavior also enables the psychologists to gain a better understanding of human psychology. Animal models are experimented with, to study emotion and behavior.
• Counseling Psychology. Counseling psychology, as the name suggests, refers to the study of interpersonal relationships across a span of time. The focus, in this branch of psychology is on social, emotional, educational, developmental and vocational issues that bring about major changes in behavior.

Benefits of seeing a Psychologists

• Some people think it’s unnecessary to see a psychologist because they have friends and family who listen to their problems and offer advice. Your friends may have unlimited advice, but they also have a bias on the situation. Psychologists offer an unbiased opinion, as they see the issue from an outside perspective. This can be confronting, because they won’t offer sugar coated advice, they’ll offer the truth, which can hurt at times.
• Seeing a psychologist can literally rewire your brain. CBT (Cognitive Brain Therapy) targets patients with depression, anxiety and schizophrenia, teaching them new ways to think, new ways to respond to situations, which ultimately, rewires their brain. How cool is that?
• Mental health may not be taken as seriously as physical health, but often the two go hand in hand. Sometimes issues can arise from a lack of sleep, which can actually affect way more than you realize. Seeing a psychologist can help you explain your feelings, and how you can work your way around them. Psychologists can help you reduce your drinking habits, change your eating habits and can treat illnesses such as insomnia.
• A real benefit of seeing a psychologist is having somewhere safe to let your feelings out. Unlike a diary, they can offer advice, but in a completely confidential space.
• If you often find yourself freaking out over issues that seem like a big deal, seeing a psychologist may just put your problems in perspective. What seems like the end of the world may just be a small hiccup, or could even work to your advantage. Seeing a professional can help give you a healthy dose of reality, which can transform the way you see problems in the future.

Bottom line

Seeing a psychologist doesn’t mean you’re “crazy” or “abnormal”, it means you take your mental health seriously. Everyone can benefit from seeing a psychologist, even if it’s just once a year. When your mental health begins to feel a little uneasy, it could be a good sign to see a psychologist. Despite the stigma attached to seeing a psychologist, there are plenty of benefits of seeing one too.

At CBT Kenya, we have friendly yet professional psychologists who are ready to have a talk with you. We encourage you to find out more about our services. We welcome any questions. Any questions related to psychotherapy, counselling, and psychology services are welcomed. Our purpose is to help you to achieve your therapeutic and life goals, to improve the quality of your life and to help you to build strong relationships in your life.

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