The psychology that is taught and studied at universities and used by professional psychologists in their work has a different meaning than the word ‘psychology’ that is used in everyday language. Psychology is not ‘guessing’ or manipulating other people’s feelings and thoughts.

Psychology is a science. This means that psychology is similar, for example, to biology. Just like in biology, there are theories in psychology, for the establishment of which data are collected. The theories of psychology deal with human behaviour and aim to explain the causes of our behaviour. Theories reveal patterns which are used to explain what happens to a person’s behaviour when there is a change in the world around them. It has also been found that a change in a person’s behaviour may be caused by a thought, feeling or memory, not just external factors.

A psychologist cannot see inside the other person. Psychologists do not know what goes on in the other person’s head and they cannot tell, just by looking at the other person, how that person is feeling or what they are thinking. The information and knowledge taught to psychologists is entirely based on tests, studies, observations and experiments. Psychologists spend a long time studying what things influence people and how they do. The knowledge gained during studies forms a basis for the psychologist’s ability to help people see solutions in situations where the person cannot cope on their own. A psychologist is like an informed bystander who helps people see the different sides of a situation.

A person who has seen several psychologists will often find that they do not offer the same advice at all. The reason for this is that different psychologists may belong to different schools of thought and different schools of thought are based on different theories which use different patterns to explain human behaviour. It is important to understand that there is no universal technique to solve all types of problems – just like a cough and a runny nose cannot be treated with the same medicine. Therefore, it may take some time to find a suitable psychologist.