We have often been asked “when should someone consider counselling services?” Just like most things in life, there is rarely a one-size-fits-all formula to initiate counselling and we would not want someone to feel “shoulded” into that decision. Realistically, the answer to when to consider counselling can be complicated, situational and personal.
Counselling can benefit our health
Obviously, we believe that counselling can be beneficial to your overall health, to your relationships; it can enhance communication and open up our perspective of the world around us. It provides a confidential space to process thoughts, feelings, relationships, employment, school and goals. As counsellors it is our responsibility to be an impartial person. Unlike family and friends, who have expectation or desires tied to your decision or outcomes, we do not have an investment in the outcome of your choices with the exception of harm to yourself or others. Counselling is a place where you can examine unhelpful thinking, distressing emotions and unwanted reactions and develop strategies to better cope with your day to day. It can also be an environment where we delve into your unsupportive relationship patterns, to develop a sense of self-worth and establish healthy boundaries. You may want to come to counselling to share the grief or trauma of a recent event or something that you have been holding onto secretly for years and in turn move toward healing.
Counselling can benefit our relationships
Counselling is not limited to work with individuals. Couples and people in relationships may come to counselling to develop better communication skills, more equitable roles, rules for entering into conflict and a deepening of intimacy. It may be a place where they explore the possibility of ending the relationship or where that decision has already been made, counselling can help to ensure that the separation is as amicable as possible. If there are children in the relationship parents may come to counselling to learn co-parenting skills, coping strategies in the many developmental stages of childhood and conflict resolution skills when parenting through adolescence.
Counselling can benefit our children
Children and young people can benefit from talking to a helpful or supportive adult as they navigate challenging relationships or bullying, a lack of confidence, procrastination, transitions and change, anxiety and depression. It can be a child or young person’s natural inclination to protect parents from their experience, regardless of age, and with the help of a counsellor these challenges can be explored and coping strategies can be introduced. In addition to working with the child, it may be appropriate to initiate family counselling, where family members may participate in sessions together with the aim of changing unhelpful dynamics, strengthening communication and deepening connection.
There are so many reasons why a child, student, individual or relationship could benefit from counselling and recently we have seen more and more people come to counselling to enhance an already healthy lifestyle and/or relationship. Counselling can support and foster a desire to gain skills in self-awareness, effective communication, mindfulness or to establish goals in your life, career or relationship. While this blog is focused on when we might consider counselling, it is important to acknowledge that finding a counsellor you feel comfortable with and supported by is the most significant factor in seeing change in counselling.
If you are ready to explore new possibilities in your life, your career, or your relationships, book an appointment at Calming Tree Counselling now.