CONSULTING PSYCHOLOGIST IN THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM OF UKRAINE AND IN THE COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD: TRADITIONS AND TRENDS OF 2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/psyspu/2026.1.9Keywords:
clinical psychologist, professional functions, areas of work, current trends, differences from psychotherapy, crisis intervention, psychotherapy, teamwork, pain management, VR technologies, resource development, helping to recognise problems, self-regulation skills, improving client self-esteem, progress assessmentAbstract
The article is devoted to topical issues of the activities of counselling psychologists working in the field of healthcare. The article reveals their professional functions, key tasks, important principles, main areas of work, differences from psychotherapeutic work, the role of psychological counselling as a key element of complex therapy, and current trends in psychological counselling. It is noted that, in the author's opinion, the professional functions of a counselling psychologist should include diagnosing the client's request and condition, building trusting relationships, developing an individual work plan, applying counselling and some therapeutic techniques appropriate for counselling, helping to identify problems, developing resources and forming self-regulation and decision-making skills, as well as assessing progress and supporting clients in improving their self-esteem. The article also focuses on the functioning of counselling psychologists in the EU and the US, in particular the educational requirements for these specialists, their work locations, the mental states of clients with whom they are authorised to work, requirements for their qualifications, nostrification and licensing, main tasks and responsibilities in their work, psychological trends in 2026, professional functions and differences between counselling psychologists and clinical psychologists. The conclusions emphasise that psychological counselling in Ukraine and foreign countries has much in common, but there are also certain differences that should be taken into account both in the training of counselling psychologists in higher education institutions and in the requirements for practising counselling psychologists working in Ukraine's healthcare system, which is a specific field of psychology. The following functions of foreign counselling psychologists are also noteworthy: work with psychosomatics and pain management, the use of VR technologies for therapy, digital health issues, the integration of psychological data with patient medical records, crisis intervention, team interaction, psychotherapy, etc
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