What is Counselling, Anyway..?

Since the turn of the year we’ve looked at a variety of mental health issues ranging from depression & anxiety to grief & bereavement, addiction and trauma, among others. But in practice, I often find that people are unclear on what Counselling & Psychotherapy actually is. So, I plan to shed a little light on that over the next few posts to create a better understanding of what Counselling & Psychotherapy are and what you can expect when engaging with these services.

First up then, Counselling & Psychotherapy: What it is:

• Well, both are regarded as Talking Therapies. This is because, typically, the client does most of the talking with the therapist listening for the greater part. The client talks about their self & their problem and the therapist helps them to gain a deeper insight into their experiences in terms of their thoughts, beliefs, feelings & behaviours.
• The therapist may try to help the client recover by developing better coping skills & greater resilience, but the plan is always to help the client grow to become a more independent & self-empowered individual; Someone in whom personal growth is facilitated.

What Counselling & Psychotherapy isn’t..

• It isn’t about solving peoples problems for them. That would likely only create dependency & limit their ability to make their own decisions.
• It isn’t about making people happy. If it were there would always be the question ‘how happy?’ People could spend the rest of their lives in therapy chasing ever greater highs. Again, another dependency maybe created.
• It isn’t about reading people’s minds. For a start, counselling & psychotherapy is evidence based and I’m not sure there’s a genuine scientific basis for claiming we can read people’s minds. What we can do is listen & watch very carefully to pick up on clues as to what might be going on behind the words. Sometimes clients are unaware of the motivations & influences that are factors in their issues. By listening & watching carefully, details can surface from the clients sub-conscious. These can be identified & worked with.

Counselling OR Psychotherapy?

I’ve often been asked what’s the difference. In truth, to my mind, the difference depends on your perspective. Some professionals say that Psychotherapists are better qualified than Counsellors or that Psychotherapy tends to take place over longer treatment cycles, dealing with more complex mental health issues. My experience is that both do a very similar job. So similar in fact that the two are almost indistinguishable. A qualified Counsellor may call themselves a Psychotherapist & vice versa and both may look to deliver a therapeutic service and will use a similar set of methods & skills to deliver therapy.

My advice to anyone looking for a Counsellor or Psychotherapist is to consider the following:

1. Consider your resources. Free therapy is sometimes offered by charities & local health services but there can be waiting lists involved and your choice of therapist & type of therapy on offer can be more limited – In short, you tend to get offered what’s available and that may or may not be the right fit for you. The other option is to look for a private therapist. This will give you more choice and avoid waiting lists but you will need the resources to pay for the service. Typical rates can be anywhere between €50 &, I’ve seen them as high as, €120 per hour. More expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better – As outlined below, your relationship with the therapist is so important.
2. Look for a therapist that you feel able to connect with, someone who you think you can establish a good professional relationship with. If you can’t connect with a therapist in this way, it doesn’t matter who they are or what they offer, the chances are they’re not the right therapist for you. I advise trying to talk with a therapist before you decide to work with them to assess whether you think you will work well together. At BroadMinds Therapy we offer a free consultation for this very reason.
3. The therapeutic relationship is very important but it’s not everything. The type of therapy on offer is very relevant. There are lots of different types of therapy and not all will be suitable for you & your issues. Again, my advice is to talk with a therapist before you decide to work with them. A good therapist will outline their way of working & discuss whether or not this is right for you. The final decision is always, ultimately, yours.
4. If at first you don’t succeed, try & try again. Sometimes, after a session or two you may come to think that therapy isn’t working out as well as you’d hoped. By now you can probably predict my answer.. You got it! The chances are that the therapist you’ve chosen isn’t quite right for you. However, there are lots of other therapists about, working in different ways, with different approaches & qualities. There will be a therapist who’s right for you. So, have hope & keep the faith, because you deserve it.

If you’d like to discuss Counselling & Psychotherapy for yourself or someone you know, contact BroadMinds Therapy and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you have and discuss options for you. Call 0899420568, email: help@broadmindstherapy.org , contact us via this website or visit our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/jpbroad

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As always, thanks for taking the time to read this article.