Counseling is a collaborative process that involves the development of a confidential professional relationship that focuses on personal problems. Occasionally life can be overwhelming. Work, relationships and life can leave us feeling depressed or anxious. Counseling provides a safe place to process emotions and feelings and get to the cause of the distress. Counseling allows individuals to explore concerns with an objective, non-judgmental, and trained counselor to work toward self improvement. Counseling can also help identify solutions to problems which were not previously identified. Counseling can help you to build a life that is more fulfilling and empowering.
Why do People Come to Counseling? People come to counseling for a variety of reasons. We all experience periods in our lives of distressing or stressful events which require more help than we are capable of offering to ourselves. Sometimes, we turn to friends or family for extra help. Oftentimes, we need the help of a trusted professional to help us regain perspective and plan our next course of action. During times of grief, separation/divorce, major life transitions, or experiences from the past, counseling can help lift the burden from our shoulders and get us back on the right track. Counseling also helps in dealing with specific psychological or behavioral traits which people would like to alter, such as compulsive thoughts or difficulties relating to other people. Some people seek counseling to help them explore a general feeling that their lives are not quite right, or to cope with feelings of depression, panic or anxiety. How is Counseling Helpful? The Counselor works with you to help you identify your strengths, gain insight into your ways of thinking, feeling and behaving and begin a process of change and growth. Sometimes people know WHAT they need to do but they just can't get themselves to do it! Counseling can help you understand what is getting in your way of making the changes you want in your life. Counseling can also teach you ways of dealing with stressful life events and circumstances you can’t change, and help you analyze and respond to internal pressures and negative attitudes towards yourself or others. Sometimes, the most helpful aspect of counseling is that the counselor is objective and is not involved in the situation you're trying to resolve. Will Counseling work for you? A most important predictor in the success of psychotherapy is the relationship between the therapist and the client. For this reason it is important to choose a therapist whom you feel you can be yourself with, and one who you feel can work with you to meet your goals. It is important for potential clients to search for the counselor they feel will best meet their needs. Just as in life, not everyone feels a connection. That connection is not the same as agreeing with everything you say. In therapy, you will be challenged to look into your routines, thoughts and beliefs. Ask yourself if you feel the potential for a connection exists. An honest therapist will do the same, as well as refer you to someone else if they feel the scope of the issue is outside of their experience. It can be difficult to make that first contact, but most people find that once they come in, they feel some sense of relief and hope because they begin facing their difficulties instead of avoiding them. If you're uncertain whether counseling is right for you, contact me and discuss it. We will talk and together decide if counseling might be useful.
Through therapy you will:
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