When problems arise in life and a person is clearly suffering from the effects of a crisis or a long-term problem, it is often common to hear the phrase: “You should go and have some counseling.” But what exactly happens during the counseling process? How does a person “get better”? And what are the respective roles and responsibility of the therapist and client?
Having therapy is different to anything you will have experienced before. It is not the same as talking over your problems with your Mom or your best friend. Both of these resources are excellent first ports of call when things are not rosy, and for the most part, people do get thorough their life problems with the help of their own personal resources, plus those of family and friends.
However, we don’t always have family and friends to hand for a variety of reasons. And even when we do, there are many problems that are too hard to understand by a person who has never experienced emotional hardship.
This is where finding a good therapist can be of great assistance. Because they are not your friend or family member, therapists are better able to see the situation without having a personal agenda that might influence therapy. Family and friends, however well meaning, can at times have vested interests in the way you deal with a given situation.
Therapists also have training in a variety of techniques which can be used at different stages of recovery. Sometimes therapy can consist of just listening to a highly distressed person as they tell their story, often for the first time. At later stages, therapy may be more proactive.
But there is one factor that distinguishes therapy from any other form of medical treatment: it is the client who does the work. Unlike going to see a surgeon who removes the offending problem, it is the client who must do the removal themselves.
In coming articles we will look at the myths and misconceptions surrounding therapy.
Contact Beth McHugh for further assistance regarding this issue.
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