For your understanding:

 

Counselling:


Counselling is a process in which the counsellor, or therapist, helps you understand the causes for your problems and guides you through the process of learning to make good life decisions. Counselling can and may take many different formats to bring a person to a better understanding of them self and others. Counselling can benefit persons with emotional issues and or experiencing problems, and maintaining relationships.

Many people need someone to confide in, not just those who have difficult issues to deal with or have been abused. Counselling is a way of helping yourself to deal with things that are getting on top of you or are getting in the way of living your life. Problems, which are, cluttering your mind, blurring, your capacity to think clearly, make the right choices and maintain healthy interpersonal relationships.

Deciding to discuss your problems with a counsellor does not mean you are unable to cope. Many people see a counsellor to help them sort out something that is worrying and they are not comfortable discussing it will family and friends because of the way they may react to the problem.

The purpose of counselling is to enable you to resolve your issues so that you can have more happiness and joy in your life.

Psychotherapy:


Psychotherapy, also known as "talk therapy", is one of the most effective ways to treat depression and some other mental and emotional problems with nonmedical therapies,(No medication prescribed) in particular counselling. In it, the Therapist establishes a professional relationship with the client, & helps to remove, modify, or retard the existing disturbing symptoms in him that the client by himself is unable to change. There are various schools of Psychotherapy like Psychoanalysis, Cognitive Therapy, Behavioural Therapy, Rational Emotive Therapy, Transactional Analysis, Hypnosis, and Yoga.

Talking to a therapist about your condition can help resolve your problems. While the results are not always immediate, you may find that just expressing what you are feeling can bring some relief.

Psychotherapist:


A term often used interchangeably with Counsellor and Therapist, Psychotherapists work with individuals, couples, families and groups to help them overcome a range of psychological and emotional concerns. With the client as an active participant, psychotherapists use personal treatment plans and a variety of non-medical-based treatments for example cognitive behavioural therapy, psychodynamic therapy.

Counselling Session:


A counselling session is tailored to suit each client’s unique situation, values, culture, and needs. Counselling happens face-to-face in a confidential session between the counsellor and Counselee or client(s) so that clients feel free to talk openly about their problems.

Counselling can be also undertaken by telephone, in writing and, in these days of the Internet, by email or video conferencing. A counselling session can take place in a private practice, an educational institution, organisation or a hospital set up.

A counselling session helps the client create positive changes and gain awareness and self-control. You will work, with your counsellor, to understand WHY you have a problem. You will work to find out what dysfunctional thoughts and beliefs you have and come up with positive life solutions.

Clients usually find counselling a very liberating and an empowering experience. That is not to say that they do not feel nervous or daunted when first approaching a counsellor, they do! However, the process and the feeling afterwards, are usually very positive and beneficial.

For whom and when counselling can be required and beneficial:


Counsellors can talk you through a whole range of issues or problems. Here are some of the life problems, situations, and emotions they can help you out with, put in words with which you can easily relate.

Anyone, who has been through an unfortunate event such as divorce, death of a loved one, surviving a life threatening illness, or losing a job.

Feeling stressed out, for example unable to handle stress at work and examination tension for students.

Anyone having relationship problems with family, friends and at work.

Anyone who has had problems or experiences in the past, they are not able to overcome and move on with life.

If you are finding even normal actions irritating and are having a constant feeling of being under pressure.

Inability to cope with routine situations. Being overwhelmed, angry and do not know how to make things better.

Feeling rootless, directionless, empty, or even trapped, as well as unsure of your place in the world.

Are tearful, restless and perhaps do not sleep well.

Nothing seems to give you any pleasure. You feel you are not good at what you do.

Feeling agitated, uptight and wound-up all the time, unable to focus or remember simple things.

Burnt out, hopeless, lack motivation, or have low self-esteem.

Parent and child relationship problems. Difficult teenager.

Anyone undergoing some kind of mental or physical trauma.

You need someone to understand you and your problems,  just listen to you and help you work out what is most important without being judgemental or reacting negatively. 

An issue or situation, seriously affecting your day-to-day life.

You just need someone to confide in.

Being depressed or feeling grief after a major or a minor event is normal and the unhappiness should start to dissipate after sometime, depending on the situation, however if it does not then seek help .

Time frame:


Counselling may take time to work, depending upon the nature and number of problems presented by the client and his or her capacity to cope and change. Sometimes, a single or a few sessions are all that is needed. At other times, longer periods, possibly months or up to a couple of years may be required.

Counsellors, Counselee and the Relationship:


The role of a counsellor is not to tell you how to run your life. Good counsellors listen, support and challenge, so that you are able to come up with your own solutions. That simply means that your counsellor will work to help you solve your own problems.

Genuineness and Warmth


Effective counsellors have a genuine interest in other people. They should have respect and unconditional positive regard for their clients.

Education


Formal degrees in psychology do not necessarily make good counsellors, but a common sense approach is not sufficient. Good counsellors are willing and able to learn about themselves and other people too.

Experience and Skills


The counsellor’s repertoire of skills includes those of forming an understanding relationship, as well as interventions, focused on helping clients change specific aspects of their feeling, thinking, and acting.

Developing a good understanding and interest in the human nature, mind, and willingness to learn and explore. Learning to grow into a more complete person from the experience of life’s hard knocks can be a valuable quality in a counsellor and enrich their experience.

Patience and Unconditional Acceptance


Patience is a virtue which every Counsellor has to practise and use in their profession. And being not judgmental is a quality they cannot do without.

The counsellor is perhaps a person that the individual has meet in a long time who truly listens without prejudice and whom he or she can trust completely.

Confidentiality


Confidentiality is paramount in counselling relationships. Counsellors facilitate full and confidential expression of the client’s feelings.

Working Relationship and Involvement


In a counselling relationship, the counsellor and client work together to explore every aspect of the client’s circumstances, enabling the individual to re-evaluate his or her experiences, capabilities and potential. The client feels he or she is a part of the session as is the counsellor.
Together the counsellor and client address the problem and identify options for change and a preferred consequence

Queries and Misconceptions:


Based on some common quires, misconceptions and distorted views surrounding counselling --some insights...

Why is counselling such a big deal?


Today apart from material success and advancement of technology leading to a very comfortable, convenient life style there is also an increase in the rate of physical, mental and emotional disturbances, suicide (India is the suicide capital of the world) psychosomatic illness, drugs and substance abuse, obesity and related diseases, divorces and violence. Today’s generation seem to be in a hurry to do everything at whatever cost. Levels of Patience and Tolerance have gone down drastically. A large part of the Indian population suffers from mental trauma and emotional disturbances in varying degrees and if unattended to the situation can only worsen.

How is counselling different from talking to friends and family?


While it can be helpful to talk to someone, you know and trust. There will be times when you may feel more comfortable confiding in someone who is not a part of your personal situation and is therefore more objective. Also, having a set time and space to talk may help you to work through the issues concerning you.
A counsellor offers you confidentiality, genuineness, and unconditional acceptance and helps you to look at things more clearly - very often when you are in the middle of a situation or crisis, you are unable to think clearly or rationally, and someone without any agenda or involvement in the friends and family network can be invaluable. Also sometimes, their own preoccupations, pressures, fears, and inexperience can only complicate the issues further.

How can counselling and psychotherapy help?


Counselling or psychotherapy will help you to be clearer about your problems – and by being clearer, to come up with your own answers by getting to the root of your problem and feelings.

Counselling is usually advised at times of change or crisis; however counselling can also help you at any time of your life. Counselling (in conjugation with other therapies) aims to help people having problems or experiences in the past, which they find difficult to overcome. These experiences and problems prevent the person moving forward in their life. Counselling helps the person face the effects of these experiences and seek ways to overcome them.

Miraculously, when our emotional problems heal, sometimes our physical health also improves. Conditions like, hypertension, diabetes, unexplained,aches and pains, insomnia, fatigue, muscle stiffness, ulcers, Myofacial pain dysfunction syndrome, and many others are often linked to our emotional state.

A large number of people can be helped merely by listening, providing care and equipping them with life-skills to cope with the stressful situations in life.

What if, we end up, with a wrong therapist or they do more harm than good?


How many of us travel by flight thinking it will crash or by road thinking that we will have an accident? We do not right, and yet, it does happen, sometimes. So do we stop travelling? No, is it not? In these situations, we are not always able to control the unfortunate events that happen. However, in case of counselling and psychotherapy, where it involves talk therapy with no deeper intervention, you can be in total control of your situation.

You can choose your therapist, and also decide to discontinue the therapy if you are not comfortable or feel it is not working( results will take time depending on your problem and is different for different people).You can also have an open discussion with your therapist if you are not satisfied or are not getting the expected results. This will help the therapist to change the process to suit your needs and situation. If you are with the right person at the right time the entire process can be a life changing experience and your problems can be solved with this simple yet powerful therapy. Choice is yours.

The counsellor / therapist will puts us on medication and what if I have to take pills for the rest of my life...


Not true, psychotherapist and counsellors use non-medical form of therapies to resolve your problems.

Cure for depression and other emotional problems do not always involve medication. Various psychotherapies help solve your problem without medication for example Cognitive- behavioural therapy. Usually only Psychiatrist or clinical psychologist, prescribe medication, in cases of severe, chronic problems, mental disorders and conditions that are not responding to other form of therapies.

Counselling can be a very liberating and empowering experience, counselling can change the way you think... feel ... live..., it is ok to talk...