Natalia V. Kiselnikova

Objective. The article presents the results of three research works currently being carried out by the Laboratory of Counseling Psychology and Psychotherapy researchers of the Psychological Institute of the Russian Academy of Education. These studies aim to investigate various aspects of helping practices: (1) the professional competencies of counselling psychologists, (2) the specifics of the psychology of communication in logopsychotherapy, and (3) existential Self of teenagers in artlogotherapy. 

Results. The first direction emphasizes that there are many models of professional competencies of counselling psychologists and psychotherapists, accepted by various professional communities and schools of psychotherapy. Relying on such models simplifies assessing the development of competencies in students during the learning process and in practitioners with increasing work experience. The authors present the results of developing their theoretical model of the competencies of psychologists-consultants. 

The second direction focuses on the fact that one of the most important competencies that a specialist in the helping professions must possess to be effective in communication is the ability to inspire confidence in his work. A study of the attitudes towards psychotherapeutic influence in the system of the family group logopsychotherapy is presented, which made it possible to identify the main two types of such attitudes: a setting for communication as a way to transfer the information and setting for trust in the methodology and the leader. The study also revealed a typology of attitudes towards the impact of a significant Other on the personality. 

The third research direction is represented by the discussion of a study on the existential self of a client personality in the artlogotherapy. It shows how the art-logo technique “Jewel” by T.A. Popova contributes to understanding by the client the value of his own life. The technique can be used from early adolescence. 

Conclusion. It is stated that the use of integrative methods combining several approaches is a promising direction of psychological counselling.