When to consult a psychologist

When to Consult a Psychologist in Madrid?

The short answer to this question is that one should seek consultation when there is an excess of emotional suffering that leads to nothing constructive.

To reply in a more precise way, it is necessary to do three things: introduce the concept of psychic structure, differentiate between situational and structural difficulties, and comment on subjectivity.

Psychic Structure

Psychic structure is the term used by psychologists to name those mechanisms and dynamics that the person uses to process ––emotionally and cognitively–– reality, events in his life and relations with others. It is important to note that this process is almost entirely unconscious and involuntary. 

Each person has a psychic structure that will have been formed in the interaction between his innate temperament and important relationships during his childhood. This psychic structure can be more or less adapted (for many different reasons) to the deep needs of the person and to external reality. The more adapted the psychic structure is, the more the person will be able to find satisfaction in life. The less adapted it is, more systematic suffering it will produce, namely symptoms. 

Structural and Situational Difficulties

It is important to note that even the most adapted, robust and flexible psychic structure will produce symptoms if it is exposed to adverse circumstances long enough. For this reason, it is important to differentiate between situational difficulties (like the one just mentioned) and chronic difficulties. Chronic difficulties have to do with a systematic way of managing reality and relationships that generates suffering. Psychological treatment is mainly indicated in the second case, although it can also be in the first case, especially if the person has placed himself involuntarily in a detrimental situation and can't get out. 

Subjectivity

Finally, each person has a way of feeling and perceiving: this is called subjectivity. What for one person may be unbearable suffering, for another may not be. Each person has to decide what they are willing to bear and when they should look for help. That said, it should be noted that psychologists observe that many people, once they begin therapy and start to feel better, express that they suffered unnecessarily for too long before seeking help.