Q: Is counselling only for people with mental disorders?
A: No, in fact this is one of the greatest myths. Counselling may be needed by anyone who may have some unresolved issues or issues that he cannot solve by himself. That is the time he may want to discuss it with someone and get help.
Q: Wouldn’t a person be considered weak if he seeks Counselling?
A: It takes a lot of courage to share your feelings and personal thoughts. Deciding to go in for a therapy in itself is a strong decision. and only these people will make a difference in their life by having the courage to alter things rather than waiting for things to happen.
Q. Is all the personal information shared during counseling, confidential?
A: Yes, we do follow a complete private and confidentiality rule when it comes to any client- therapist relationship. And as a psychologist/ counsellor we follow and adhere to the ethics of a counselling session. Only in the rare of the case does disclosure of confidential information takes place, when there is a threat or harm and the safety of the client or any other individual related is at risk.
Q:What kinds of things do people seek help for?
A:People seek counselling for a variety of reasons including feeling unhappy, unfulfilled; worried; sad, or angry. They also seek counselling for troubled behaviours like addictive or disordered behaviours. Relationship issues, stress at work. Some undergo counselling for exploring their barriers. Some seek help for a troubled past that surrounds their present with unhelpful thoughts and negative emotions. Others seek out counselling at difficult times or facing a difficult decision and they desire to move forward in their life with intention and clear thinking.
Q: How can therapy help?
A: Your therapist will work with you to identify your personal goals for counselling and then tailor counselling to you and your goals. You can expect that your therapist will listen closely to understand your experience and then find ways to assist you in moving towards your goals. Therapy is a personalised experience, so how it helps differs from person to person. It will often involve things such as getting a different perspective on your experiences, exploring and discovering things about yourself, making changes in unhelpful patterns of thinking and behaving, processing difficult experiences, and learning healthy coping tools.
Q: What can a person expect at the first session?
A: Commonly a first session is known as a ‘Consultation’. this session is drawn for the client- therapist to decide about the areas of concern; whether what therapy may be best suitable and discussing about the role of the counsellor and the counselling. A person can talk about the issues that may have brought him for counselling and also about the background and personal history on a level that feels comfortable to the person. This information will help the counsellor draw future counselling sessions. He may also expect to have some brief paperwork to be filled out.
Q: How long does a counselling session take?
A: A session is typically scheduled for 50 minutes and most people see their counsellor once a week for consistent progress to be made.