The benefits of counselling.
Today I have a great guest post from the lovely Angela about her views one th benefits of counselling.
Recently I have had a hard time with my health. For over a year the doctors told me the only thing that was wrong with me was that I had anxiety. I was first diagnosed with anxiety in 2006 but this felt much different to what I had experienced 9 years ago.
For months I was back and forwards trying to get them to listen and to get answers. They wouldn’t budge on a diagnosis so I admitted defeat for a while. I took the antidepressants for one week and had horrific side effects. So I asked them for counselling which they said they would put me on the waiting list for. Turned out they never did.
Finally I had enough and I went to the only doctor I hadn’t seen yet, the best doctor at the surgery. He listened to everything that had happened and all of the symptoms. Finally he gave me the diagnosis I was after. I have severe PMS and due to being left so long I was referred to counselling.
I was over the moon and on the day of my first session I was so excited. Now I am going to be honest here, for me counselling is much better than any drugs when it comes to anxiety. I am not saying do not take medication as everyone is different!
Some people are scared of counselling as they are not sure what to expect. This is my experience.
- The counsellors are so friendly, don’t worry!
- They do not judge, in fact many have been in your position.
- There is no pressure to talk if you don’t want to.
- Take your time when talking or you can blurt it all out you will feel better honestly.
- They take notes. This is for your records and to keep note of your progress.
- You may get homework. This is to keep note on how you get on between sessions.
- Talking to someone who understands and doesn’t judge is the best feeling ever.
So there you go. That is the benefits of counselling. My next session is on Monday and I can’t wait. I have made so much progress since my last visit and I can honestly say if I hadn’t been referred I don’t know what state I would have been in.
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*Compass with arrow pointing to the word solution vs problems from Shutterstock
Some great tips on this blog and really good benefits of counseling, a lot of people benefit a lot from having counseling 🙂
Glad to read your post. Your experience shared would surely be a great help to others who are looking for the same therapy.
its such a shame this isnt taled bout more as it can very effective but they is still a stigma attached to it
I have had counselling and agree it can be affective.
This article helped me a great deal. Thank you.
Does anyone think of the stigma of having counselling and how it can affect the way you can be perceived by others?
Thank you for sharing your experience, I have been to couselling myself but mine was for bereavement rather than anxiety, but talking to someone impartial who didn’t judge anything i said made me feel so much better. They sat patiently while i let out all the tears i had been holding back for fear of upsetting the rest of my family. I would recommend counselling to anyone who needed it for whatever reason.
Counselling is a vital part of our mental health but is still looked upon as an ‘extra’. It’s so much easier and less time-consuming to dispense anti-depressants rather than discovering the cause of the problem. One of my many hats is as a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and hand-on-heart the training has helped me enormously.
Many of the older generation learnt coping skills sitting on grannies knee or perhaps from a talented teacher. In today’s society many of us miss out on these learning opportunities and are unequipped to deal with emotional problems when they arise. This in turn can lead to anxiety and illness.
We all love a ‘quick-fix’ and the general assumption that counselling or therapy equates to ‘giving advice’ mean that it is often the last option chosen by either GP or patient. Let’s face it, when you’re feeling down, the last thing you need is someone telling you to ‘pull yourself together’. As Jo quite rightly points out, the role of counsellor is to facilitate the person to discover for themselves what the underlying problem is, and by doing so, encourage the person to take action to prevent or overcome the cause of the pain. By acknowledging the pain, we can and do learn how to overcome it. I wish you well.
So happy that you got the chance to go finally, sad that it took so long. I could not agree more. I trained as a counsellor, to do so, I needed to have counselling as well and it was so beneficial and yes many counseelors have dealt with many of the feelings that they see in people who arrive.
Counselling is so good in fact that its the first place I have turned if I run out of steam with life or have any major conflicts personally. A good counsellor does not judge, does not really give advice, just enables you to have the breathing space to explore those conflicts and feelings that are preventing you from feeling whole, they facilitate the opportunity to find solutions to your pain and enable you to beat it. A great counsellor actually walks alongside you as you make this journey, they do not throw advice at you, you certainly don’t need any more, you are so strong for taking this step. I wish you every success in beating this. Thank you, such a lovely post.