Counselling Opinions Please!?

Question

What is your opinion on counselling?
Has it helped you? Or is it a waste of time?

yes i do think i need some counselling.
i have already seen two counsellors. the first was a man whom i was uncomfortable with and the second was a woman and after 5 sessions i had got nowhere. she hadnt offered much advice and seemed to get me talking about the same thing each session. she also kept asking me how she can help me, which i thought was silly as she was the counsellor and i did not know what she could do to help me. this she perceived as me being "not bothered" and "wasting her time". at my last session i felt she had the wrong attitude towards me (i can be very shy and she seemed to make fun of this with sarcasm and some of the comments she made) and i decided to stop seeing her as i felt it would have done more harm than good for me to carry on seeing someone who obviously does not understand my shyness and is not interested in getting to the bottom of my problems.
i had 2 short sessions with a cpn, who helped and understood me much more than the counsellor did.

Answer 1

Hi sparky.
i totally agree with everyone who has said the most important thing is having a good connection with the person you seek counselling from. I have seen a counsellor, doctor, phyciatric nurse...and every single one made me feel worse, infact they made me feel counselling wasn't for me, even though I knew i needed help and it made me feel very alone as i had been dissapointed a lot. It took me a while to convince myself to try again..but i did a month or two ago, decide to go to the counsellors at my university and I have met a counsellor that I feel I can trust and who actually cares abot my well-being. It's actually only a short term service and I surprisingly I am now wishing it was longer. But finding the right person for you is the first step... so if you go to counselling and find you don't like the counsellor, ask at reception or whoever refered you to change them.....many people do it, it's not something to be worried about, we don't click with everyone.

Counselling can be a very daunting thing to face. I myself feared it...I knew deep down i should go and that I needed the help but it scared me. I'm not going to lie that sometimes it's difficult and that i get nervous about going but in many ways it really does help to be able to talk to someone objective. I used to think...what can a stanger tell me that i don't already know?...But you could be surprised.

Think of it this way. If you go and hate it, then you can stop...it's not compulsory and depending on yor situation the counsellor should be able to tell you if you need further help or not. However, i would advise you give it at least 3 sessions before deciding if you think it's helping or not, because the automatic reaction for many people is that they don't like it, as it's hard to open up to someone you don't know at the begining and is another reason why bonding with them is cruicial.

So many people go to counselling, it's not something to be ashamed off..it just means that you need to talk to someone who has more experience in certain areas to give you a bit of guidance....abit like if your in school or college and need help with your history module...you go to the history lecturer or teacher because they have the knowledge on that subject and its the same with a counsellor.

Ask around if you can for recommended counsellors for your situation, google for counsellors in your area and you can go to your gp and ask to be refered or for contact details of counsellors they recommend. There are many options.

Not everyone suits counselling..but many do and many benefit from it...I think if you need help it's worth a try, because suffering a lone and in silence can be much worse!

Best of luck, hope this answer helps.

Answer 2

You have to find the right counsellor. Some will have the right approach for you, others just won't. I really made progress when I found one I 'clicked' with. She was someone I'd like talking to even if she wasn't my counsellor.

For counselling to help, you also have to be ready to face really getting to the bottom of what's bothering you. Usually something on the surface of your life is getting to you, but the real problem is much deeper, in stuff you've believed about yourself for years. Unless you're willing to do some navel-gazing and take a few painful trips down memory lane, the counsellor can't help you. They lead you through the process, but you're the one who's going to have to do the hard work.

Yes, I think it's definitely worth it. Problems on the surface are only signs of deeper baggage, and it would be a real shame to spend your whole life weighed down by beliefs and attitudes that stop you from being your best.

Answer 3

I've been to therapy once, and I enjoyed it. It isn't always pleasant at the time of getting it, because there are emotions and thoughts you won't want to deal with that the therapist will likely bring to light. But it's very helpful; if you need counseling for something, it's a good idea to get it even if you're unsure. In fact, ask around with people you know to see if there's anyone they'd recommend. Back in high school in my AP Psych class, people constantly recommended their own therapists or ones their family used.

Answer 4

I practise some counselling (not professionally) and find it assists a great many people. However, unless the person involved has a suitable attitude, it does not help all. You never have anything to lose by trying. A counsellor will not judge or tell you what to do, they will help you find your own best answers.

Answer 5

Helped me immensely, BUT... not every counsellor suits every person, just like not everyone you meet is someone you like. If you try it and it doesn't help, don't necessarily write the whole method off as useless. It took me four attempts over the course of about six years to find a counsellor who was "right" for me.

Answer 6

I imagine it has helped some people, and not helped others. I think it depends on the person and the counselor.

Counseling is mainly talking out your problems and getting advice on dealing with your thoughts and emotions.

Most people can do this all by themselves by keeping a journal and writing out their feelings.

But the problem with this is that if you are thinking wrong thoughts, you need guidance to change how you think.

With out knowing more about the specific problem, I can't really advise you very well.

Answer 7

It usually helps. The hardest thing you will face in counseling is yourself.

Self discovery is the hardest part of counseling. A good counselor will help you discover yourself and your feelings about your current problems and will likely be able to help. It's getting to the point where you don't hate yourself or your counselor for how you're feeling.

Answer 8

You need to go there with a specific goal or reason for going or they won't know what to do with you. And if you don't click with your therapist, find someone else. There's no point in talking to someone you're uncomfortable with.

Answer 9

Depends on who you go to. It is helpful.....maybe need to be used with medication asin antidepressants.....but yes has a proven record with the right professional approach.

Answer 10

i never had counselling but my friend has and she says it really helped her understand her self and where she was going in life, it also helped her get over her phobia of using the phone. so yes i would say it is good.