Joanna Stich

Going to a counselor or a psychologist is still, sadly to this day perceived as “there being something wrong with you”. In reality, this couldn’t be more wrong. 

The right counselor provides a different perspective on things that are going on with your life. I recommend going to a counselor or a psychologist once a month even if you don’t have a particular concern to discuss, just to get things off your chest, offload onto someone else or simply to rant. 

If you’re still on the fence, let me share with you the benefits you can expect after a successful counseling session, but firstly here are few things I recommend you do, before booking a session:

Identify topics you would like to discuss

A lot of counselors practice in niche topics, such as: grief, abuse, self-harm, depression etc. If your desire to meet with a counselor is of a general nature – looking for some tools to deal with everyday anxieties, etc. then I suggest you search for a general counselor. If you have unresolved childhood trauma, you will be looking for someone specializing in just that. This brings me to my next point:

Find someone you’re comfortable with

Once you have established you’re going to look for a counselor addressing a particular niche area, start searching based on your preferences such as: whether the counseling is in person or online; therapist’s gender, for example, I personally prefer a female counselor; that being said someone else might prefer a male presence. There is no wrong answer here.

Remember – these will be the moments of your life where you are at your utmost vulnerable, it’s important to be comfortable. 

In addition, don’t feel obligated to stay with a counselor if after a session or two it doesn’t feel like you’ve clicked. That is totally fine, and any professional counselor will tell you that from the onset. Your success and recovery is their success, if the relationship feels forced – leave it & find someone else. They will not take it personally. In fact, they might be able to refer you to someone better suited.

Whatever you do, make sure you deal with someone who is trained in your area of concern. You do not want to waste time & money on ineffective practices. 

Do Your Own Research

Before you commit to a professional, do a little bit of research into various techniques available to address your concerns. There are multiple ways to deal with concerns in therapy and you should have a general idea of what might work best for you. Usually, the first session is more of a get to know me session, where the counselor will try to identify what you’d like to work on and advise you on the techniques they’re using. It’s important to have a little bit of knowledge as to what they’re talking about. Some techniques might include: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or EMDR and so on. You might not be comfortable with everything, so just be honest with yourself but also trust the counselor is a professional and perhaps going a little outside of your comfort zone may bring you benefits long term. 

Lastly, be open minded. Go into it with no expectations and truly immerse yourself in the experience. With the right counselor you can achieve a LOT. 

Let’s move onto the benefits of counseling / therapy:

• The right counselor should be in a position, to help you identify past traumas/trigger points/ reasons why or for certain behaviours (even if you can’t identify them yourself)
• Helps you understand your thought process and emotions associated with it
• Provides a different perspective on past events and is able to provide unbiased opinion from the sidelines
• Helps identify behaviors associated with past trauma and highlight them, thus providing clarity on actions 
• Provide & equip you with tools and techniques to navigate in your journey on a day to day basis
• Allows you to process your concerns in a safe and understanding place
• If all else fails, counseling provides you with an outlet to offload some of your worries without judgement 

For more mental health related articles, take a look at Affordable Self Care Techniques or Mindfulness Activities for Adults and For Children. 

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