Consideration n ° 1 (ethics)
Helping others is the best job in the world, but you have to know how to do it.
Most people who choose to become psychologists are motivated by a great desire to contribute to the well-being of others, to help people in need, to exercise empathy and solidarity. But all this, alas, is not enough to help. The great motivation behind the choice to be a "psy" is of little use if it is not supported by specific skills and technical learning on "how to do it".
All these aspects that, unfortunately, are not provided during the 5 years of university studies. It therefore becomes essential for the young graduate to provide for a real post-graduate training that will provide him with the indispensable tools to carry out his profession in the best possible way. And there is no more comprehensive training than that provided by a good graduate school.
Consideration n ° 2 (economic)
Helping others is the best job in the world, but as a job you have to be able to live in it.
The number of psychology graduates is constantly on the rise and, unfortunately, so too is that of young psychologists who end up in unskilled jobs or that have nothing to do with their studies. Unfortunately, one cannot live on "diagnosis" and "psychological rehabilitation" alone: too much competition, inadequate health and social policies, and many other reasons that go beyond this discussion.
If a psychology graduate wants to make a living from his job, he needs a recognized qualification and a clear position in the world of work. The figure of the psychotherapist is now widely recognized and more and more people are looking for help of this type as an alternative to that of a pharmacological type. In short, psychotherapy can be lived and also well, doing the work for which you have studied and that you love with effectiveness and satisfaction.
Consideration n ° 3 (strategic)
Helping others is the best job in the world, but you need concrete and effective tools to do it.
Many young psychologists favor short postgraduate courses, such as masters, often out of the need or the illusion of saving time and money. In reality, the master chosen as an alternative to psychotherapy school only apparently represents a saving, because it does not provide a preparation similar to that of a school (and in this world you have to be very prepared if you want to work) nor the title necessary to stand out. from others. Therefore, it is better to “leave later to arrive earlier”, choosing a specialization school that provides concrete and effective tools to carry out the profession well.
Hence the choice of the type of specialization school is also fundamental. After a university course lived entirely on books, it is essential that the psychotherapy school provides training "in the field". A school that allows students to see real therapies (possibly live or at least on video), to be able to enter co-therapy with an expert therapist, to have real interaction with patients, allows them to acquire those tools and skills that no reading of books can guarantee.
Words are powerful (and dangerous) therapeutic tools like a scalpel, reading a book on how to use them is not enough to know how to do it.
Combining the 5 years of university with another 4 years of theory alone will make you obtain the title of psychotherapist, but it will not enable you to compete successfully in the world of work. When choosing the specialization school, therefore, pretending to know how the 4-year training path is organized, participate in the open days that most schools organize today, talk to students and alumni, in order to be sure you are choosing a truly qualifying path.
Consideration n ° 4 (purely personal)
Helping others is the best job in the world.
Going to a psychotherapy school is an intense, beautiful, enriching experience. Anyone who leaves a psychotherapy school without having been profoundly transformed by it or has gone to the wrong school, or has not learned anything.
From my 4 years of graduate school in psychotherapy I have not only taken away the passion and skills with which I have been carrying out my work for almost 20 years, but also the most important friendships of my life, the desire to continue studying and form myself, the desire to constantly improve myself.
Thanks to those 4 years I learned to do the best job in the world, the one I wish each of you to be able to do because, as Confucius said, "Choose the job you love and you will never work, not even for a day in the whole your life".
Roberta Milanese (Psychologist-Psychotherapist, Specialist in Brief Strategic Psychotherapy.