Psychological Counseling

The book details the main topics that are important for understanding the theory and mastering the practice of psychological counseling. The first chapter examines various viewpoints on general theoretical questions of psychological counseling, as well as the connections between psychological counseling and related professions. The second chapter is dedicated to describing typical requests and problems that clients bring to a psychological counselor, in accordance with the clinical criteria of ICD-10. The third chapter includes seven sections dedicated to the most popular methods of psychological counseling (transactional analysis by E. Berne, positive psychotherapy by N. Pezeshkian, relaxation methods, body-oriented psychotherapy, personality-oriented (reconstructive) psychotherapy by B.D. Karvasarsky, cognitive-behavioral therapy by A. Beck, A. Ellis, positive dynamic psychotherapy by V.Yu. Slabinsky). The fourth, concluding chapter presents ethical recommendations developed by leading professional psychological associations. Based on the author's extensive experience leading the ethics committee of the largest domestic association of psychologists and psychotherapists, it provides basic criteria for evaluating the ethical behavior of psychological counselors in various situations. Issues regarding the influence of the counselor's own personality and family situation on the effectiveness of psychological assistance are also addressed.