What is Counseling?

LifeShops
What Is Counseling?

There are many myths about what Counseling entails. Most of them are rooted in some outdated ideas about psychology and psychotherapy. Unfortunately, images of old men in beards, clients on couches and patients in asylums still define what counseling is for many individuals who might benefit from what counseling offers today. Often, people dismiss counseling as

Something for “crazy people”?

Professional help for people with really major problems?

An activity for people who are way too preoccupied with themselves!

A crutch for people who are just too weak to handle life.

or

Where you go and get analyzed by somebody and then hope something changes for the better!



Usually, if counseling is described in these ways, the descriptions are coming from people who have never been to counseling....

Counseling is many things....but a good place to start is by clarifying
what counseling is NOT!

Counseling is NOT a place that people go to find out if they’re "crazy" ...but rather to get support because sometimes the world can seem pretty “crazy.”

Counseling is NOT something that attends only to challenges regarded as “major problems” and dismissing things some may regard as “less important problems” but rather attends to the issues that students bring in whenever they feel the distress is getting in the way of living life with satisfaction. Counseling simply helps show those who come to counseling that they possess the strength and abilities to manage their challenges.

Counseling is NOT an activity for self-absorbed people. In fact, most students who seek counseling are struggling because they are very sensitive to the feelings and experiences of others and want to preserve their relationships by working on the difficulties that threaten them..

Counseling is NOT an activity where one expert analyzes the client.
Rather, it is an activity where counselor and client work as a team to make positive changes in the client's approach to life.

Counseling is NOT a crutch for weak people. Rather, it is a vehicle for strong people who decide to face their challenges directly rather than continue in the more frightened and “escape”-oriented ways that others use to deal with difficulties.

A MirrorThe counselor's job is to hold the mirror up for you to take a closer look at who you are, where your strengths are, and how manageable your limitations can be.
Counseling is a unique relationship in which the Counselor’s job is to hold up a mirror for the client to see himself or herself in. We all have experiences in which we can’t see things about ourselves without a mirror.


Whether our hair is fully combed, whether we have something stuck in our teeth, or whether we have a wound in a hard to see place, we often need mirrors to see these things well enough to do something about them. And, sometimes, we need someone to hold the mirror so we can see the things at are at more hidden angles.

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posted by Robert Heard at 5:12 PM