Andrey Breslav: Psychotherapy and Business with a Social Mission

Contents:

• My Path After Kotlin: A New Career Stage
• Why Do You Need a Psychologists Search Service?
• Creating a Business with a Social Purpose: How Alter is Changing the World of Psychotherapy
• Psychological Help: A Normal Necessity in the Modern World
• The Impact of Psychotherapy on the IT Sector
• How to Find a Quality Psychotherapist: Important Aspects

Andrey Breslav, co-founder of the Kotlin programming language and a renowned developer, shared his experience of transitioning from technology to psychotherapy in an interview with Skillbox Media. He emphasizes the importance of psychotherapeutic practices and their benefits for a wide audience. Breslav believes that awareness of psychotherapy can help many people improve their quality of life and cope with psychological difficulties.

My Path After Kotlin: A New Career Stage

After ten years of developing the Kotlin language at JetBrains, in December 2020 I decided to hand over my responsibilities to colleagues and take a break. Completing such a large-scale and intensive project required time for me to rest. I've set a goal for myself to dedicate 2021 to recharging my batteries and finding new sources of inspiration.

Despite leaving JetBrains, I remain actively involved in the Alter project, a psychologist recruitment platform. I dedicate about 10 hours a week to this project, participating in strategic discussions, developing technical solutions, and the hiring process for new specialists. This has become a significant part of my life and professional work. Participating in Alter allows me not only to develop my skills, but also to contribute to an important cause - helping people find qualified psychologists.

Why is a psychologist selection service necessary?

Psychotherapy is an effective and an undervalued method that can significantly transform lives. This process not only helps us cope with emotional pain and crises, but also promotes awareness, allowing us to gain a deeper understanding of our thoughts and feelings. Psychotherapy provides the opportunity to take control of our lives and actively make changes aimed at improving the quality of our lives. It helps develop the skills necessary to overcome difficulties and promotes personal growth, opening new horizons for self-awareness and self-realization.

Early in life, we acquire a wealth of knowledge and skills, often without realizing it. Explicit learning, such as reading or playing a musical instrument, is familiar to everyone. However, we learn a far greater number of skills and patterns unconsciously, especially in childhood. These unconscious elements shape our character and emotional reactions, which in turn significantly influences our behavior in adulthood. Becoming aware of this process can help us better understand ourselves and our reactions, as well as promote personal growth and development.

Adults, unlike children, have the ability to make more conscious decisions. However, many intuitive reactions ingrained in childhood continue to influence our choices. Psychotherapy plays an important role in restoring the right to conscious choice and in correcting behavioral patterns formed in the past. It helps people become aware of their habits and reactions, allowing them to make more informed decisions based on current circumstances rather than old patterns. Psychotherapy promotes self-knowledge and development, which leads to a higher quality of life and improved relationships with others. Changes in the overt aspects of life occur quickly, but the transformation of deep patterns requires significant time—from months to years. Nevertheless, this is possible and necessary, as many people face recurring situations that they would like to avoid. Often, people find themselves in similar relationships, which may indicate unconscious patterns of behavior. Psychotherapy provides an opportunity to break this vicious circle, allowing you to understand and change your internal attitudes. This is an important step towards creating a more harmonious and satisfying life.

Psychotherapy can be helpful for most people. While it's not required for everyone, more and more people are beginning to recognize its benefits every year. Research, including that of the American Psychological Association, confirms that psychotherapy significantly improves quality of life, reduces stress, and promotes overall well-being. Psychotherapy helps you understand difficult emotions and situations, and develops the skills needed to manage life's challenges more effectively.

My personal experience with psychotherapy has had a noticeable impact on me. I was able to quickly overcome unreasonable jealousy, which was one of the first tangible results, although this wasn't my initial goal. My self-esteem has improved, and I've become more comfortable making decisions and communicating with people, freed from the fear of displeasing others. Although some issues remain unresolved, I've made significant progress. Psychotherapy has helped me better understand myself and my emotions, which has had a positive impact on all aspects of my life.

Creating a business with a social purpose: how Alter is changing the world of psychotherapy

When creating Alter, we pursued The goal wasn't just to launch a project, but to make a significant change in society. I was convinced that psychotherapy could help many, but unfortunately, not everyone uses it. This inspired me to seek ways to popularize this important practice. During this search, I met Olga Kitaina, and our collaboration quickly grew into a joint project. We strive to make psychotherapy more accessible and understandable to a wider audience, so that everyone can find support and improve their quality of life. At the initial stage, the project's primary goal was not financial gain. I sincerely shared with my acquaintances that I was ready to invest even a million rubles in the project without expecting immediate results. Given my limited business experience and my commitments to my day job with Kotlin, I recognized that every startup is associated with risks. Nevertheless, the desire to create something meaningful for everyone, not just programmers, became my primary motivation. This desire inspired me to come up with new ideas and approaches, which would ultimately lead to a successful and useful project.

The question that arises is why, with good intentions, we chose the path of business rather than creating a charitable organization. At that time, the idea of ​​a charity seemed remote to me. I realized that I needed to create a self-sufficient company capable of supporting its employees, developing content, and promoting psychotherapy. At that time, I did not consider the possibility of focusing on fundraising. My focus was on creating a sustainable business model that could contribute to society through the provision of professional services and the development of mental health.

Over time, I became increasingly interested in the business aspects of the project. I began to develop commercial skills and realized that the success of a business directly depends on its demand and ability to meet customer needs. It is important to remember our core mission: to build a business not only for profit, but also for the real benefit we can provide to clients. When done correctly, a successful business becomes a clear indicator of our effectiveness. Today, Alter is a profitable company that not only generates income but also genuinely helps people. We understand that financial constraints prevent many people from accessing psychotherapy. Our goal is to make these services more accessible to everyone. This remains a priority for us, and we actively collaborate with charities. In particular, we work with the "You Will Be Trusted" project, which also aims to address this issue. We support their efforts and strive to contribute to improving access to psychotherapeutic care.

Psychological help: a normal need in the modern world

In recent years, there has been a noticeable shift in the perception of psychotherapy, which helps to overcome outdated stereotypes and myths associated with this practice. Organizations like Alter play a vital role in educating and informing the public about the real possibilities and benefits of psychotherapy. They help people understand that psychotherapy can be a useful tool for addressing various psychological issues, improving quality of life, and achieving emotional well-being. Initiatives like these contribute to growing interest in psychotherapy, which in turn fosters a more open and healthy attitude toward mental health. Psychotherapy is no longer perceived as something shameful and hidden, and is increasingly becoming a part of the lives of educated people. Seeking help from mental health professionals is perceived as a normal practice. The destigmatization of psychiatry plays a significant role in this process: successful individuals who openly discuss their diagnoses demonstrate that having mental disorders does not interfere with achieving life goals. This positive dynamic contributes to the development of a society in which mental health is recognized as an important component of overall well-being. In 2023, research showed that over 40% of people without official diagnoses began using psychotherapy to improve their quality of life. This fact demonstrates that psychotherapy is no longer perceived as something exotic and is increasingly becoming an important tool in the process of personal growth and well-being. Psychotherapy opens new opportunities for self-knowledge, promotes emotional well-being, and helps cope with everyday stress. Thus, the use of psychotherapy is becoming an integral part of mental health care.

Alter actively promotes a new perception of psychotherapy by publishing useful materials, case studies, and articles. Our goal is to help people understand how psychotherapy can improve their quality of life. We are proud that Alter has grown sixfold over the past year, demonstrating the growing interest in psychotherapy and its potential.

The number of companies providing psychotherapy services is growing, confirming the high potential of this market. We are confident in the future of psychotherapy and are pleased to see more and more people beginning to recognize its benefits for improving mental health and overall well-being.

The Impact of Psychotherapy on the IT Sector

Since Alter's founding, we have seen a strong interest among our clients among IT professionals. This phenomenon can be explained by several key factors. First of all, the company offers innovative solutions that meet the needs of the rapidly evolving technology market. Secondly, our team has deep knowledge of IT, which allows us to effectively collaborate with professionals in this field. Furthermore, we focus on quality of service, which attracts professionals seeking a reliable partner for their projects. Thus, Alter is becoming the preferred choice for IT professionals seeking successful collaboration.

• Firstly, IT professionals often have high incomes, which allows them to invest in psychotherapeutic services.
• Secondly, competition in the IT market makes companies more attentive to working conditions, including issues of mental health of their employees.

IT companies were the first to introduce psychotherapy into their benefits packages. We offer programs such as co-financing of psychotherapy, in which the employer partially covers the costs of sessions with a psychologist. This trend began developing in Russia just over a year ago and is gaining popularity, emphasizing the importance of employee mental health. Integrating psychological support into corporate culture helps increase productivity, reduce stress levels, and improve the overall well-being of employees.

Some organizations are still limited to a few sessions per employee, but there are already large companies that offer an unlimited number of sessions. This demonstrates progress in the field of mental health in the workplace and underscores the importance of corporate well-being. Investments in employee mental health contribute to increased productivity and reduced stress, which in turn impacts the overall team atmosphere. Mental health support is becoming an integral part of the strategy of successful companies striving to create a healthy and supportive work environment.

Chat support for employees is becoming an important area of ​​corporate services. This service allows psychologists to promptly respond to employee inquiries at any time, guaranteeing fast and professional assistance. We are actively developing this format to make psychological support more accessible and effective for all company employees. Chat support not only helps improve the emotional climate within the team but also allows for the timely identification and resolution of emerging issues, which ultimately increases overall productivity and employee satisfaction.

How to find a quality psychotherapist: important aspects

Choosing the right psychotherapist is a serious task for many people. Psychotherapy is more than just communication; it's a complex process that requires a specialist's deep knowledge and experience. It's important to consider the psychotherapist's qualifications, approaches, and methods. The right choice can significantly impact the effectiveness of therapy and the patient's overall well-being. A psychotherapist must not only be a professional in their field but also possess the ability to establish trusting relationships, which plays a key role in the process of healing and personal growth.

• Alter provides access to qualified psychotherapists who guarantee the safety and effectiveness of therapy.

Every word in this statement matters. Our platform provides clients with access to true professionals who can effectively help. It's important to understand that not every psychologist with a degree can conduct psychotherapy. Many specialists focus on other areas, such as research or teaching, and lack practical experience in therapy. We ensure that only qualified psychotherapists with relevant experience work on our platform, ensuring high-quality care and support for our clients.

Doctors with a psychiatric degree are required to undergo additional training to master verbal psychotherapy skills. This underscores the importance of choosing a qualified, appropriately trained therapist. Choosing the right therapist can significantly impact the effectiveness of treatment and the quality of care you receive.

Choosing the right therapist can be challenging. Since Alter's founding, we have taken this issue very seriously, developing a rigorous selection process. Our goal is to ensure access to professional, qualified therapists, enabling clients to find the support and help they need during difficult times. We believe that high standards in selecting therapists contribute to high-quality therapy and positive treatment outcomes.

We verify the educational credentials of all candidates, an important step in selecting qualified therapists. We also require them to undergo personal psychotherapy and regular supervision, which contributes to their professional growth and improves the quality of services provided. In addition, candidates must complete a special questionnaire and interview developed by scientists from the Psychotherapeutic Methods Research Lab at the Psychological Institute of the Russian Academy of Education. This approach ensures the high level of training and competence of our specialists.

This methodology helps assess the therapists' qualifications and theoretical knowledge, as well as their approach to work. This ultimately allows us to select the most suitable specialists for our clients, ensuring effective solutions to their psychological problems.

In this article, Andrey Breslav will discuss his film preferences and the mistakes he made while developing the Kotlin programming language. He will also share his thoughts on what it means to realize that Kotlin could become his most significant project. Read on to learn about Breslav's personal views and his path in the programming world.