What Do I Get out of the Counselling Process?
Counselling has multiple benefits with the potential to tremendously affect your quality of life and well-being. It is an impactful way to manage your mental health, offering the opportunity to address harmful thoughts or behaviours and learn coping skills that can be used in everyday life – even after stopping counselling.
Counselling can help you survive and even thrive during a difficult time, for example, illness, relationship problems, or job pressures. Many people consider seeking counselling when:
- Experiencing a significant crisis
- Feeling anxious or depressed
- Going through a major life transition
- Struggling with complicated family dynamics
- Experiencing relationship challenges
- Dealing with addiction or substance abuse
- Desiring to improve emotional and mental health
Both children and adults, as well as individuals, couples, and groups, can benefit from counselling. Counselling can help clients resolve issues related to mental health diagnoses, challenging life events (e.g. the loss of a loved one, divorce, illness of self or a loved one), abuse, relationship issues, and family problems.
Effective counselling can enhance various parts of your life, improving how you feel emotionally, physically, socially, and professionally. It can help you address the things you feel are holding you back from living your best life and becoming your favourite self.
All in all, the advantages of counselling outweighs the potential drawbacks.
The Benefits of Counselling
Counselling employs proven and evidence-based approaches to explore your challenges and help you get back on track. Your counsellor will strive to supply you with coping mechanisms and skills you can use whenever you are struggling – now or in the future. Counsellors are trained to be good listeners and to understand and promote mental health and wellness. They are competent in helping clients design and implement interventions. Good counsellors adhere strictly to ethical standards and undergo supervision by more experienced mental health professionals.
Additionally, counselling provides the opportunity to talk openly and honestly with a qualified, non-judgmental, empathic professional in a confidential and objective space. This is particularly beneficial for someone suffering in silence or who feels unable to confide in friends, family, and colleagues about their struggles.
Counselling also provides you with the chance to learn more about yourself and develop a better understanding of your mental health. Your counsellor will patiently listen to your story and assist you in making connections. For example, you may learn how your past has influenced who you are now, your emotional triggers, and why you feel the way you do. Your counsellor may offer guidance and make recommendations if you feel uncertain. You can learn how to identify triggers that lead to harmful behaviours and make sense of past trauma. Thoroughly understanding yourself may create awareness of your feelings, their root causes, and how to better cope with them in the future. Counselling empowers you to take the initiative.
Furthermore, counselling can improve relationships with others and increase fulfilment within those relationships, such as romantic partners, family, friends, and colleagues. Counselling can increase your self-awareness about how your behaviour affects others and promote better communication. Counselling can also help you resolve relationship or family issues so you can move forward.
Another benefit of counselling is that it can boost your self-esteem. Counselling facilitates goal-setting for your future and empowers you to proactively take positive, realistic steps towards healing, growth, and learning – thereby helping you achieve your goals. This promotes self-esteem and the ability to regain control over your feelings and well-being.
Finally, counselling can help you improve your physical health by improving your mental health. Counselling can also teach you coping techniques for dealing with stress. Research suggests a link between mind and body wellness. Unresolved mental health issues can greatly affect physical wellbeing. In contrast, individuals with good emotional health may be better able to deal with physical health issues.
Conclusion
If you’re considering counselling, you may be concerned about the possible downsides, such as cost. You may be thinking that counselling is a difficult, demanding process. You may be worried about the pain and fear around remembering and sharing past trauma. Indeed, working through challenges isn’t easy and counselling isn’t always a quick fix. However, counselling can be extremely rewarding. Therefore, when you feel ready to see a counsellor, make sure you can be honest with both yourself and them.
Counselling can be accessed at any time and place that suits you, whether in person or online. You will have your own unique needs and goals for counselling, so make sure your counsellor finds the best approach for you.
Interested in Receiving Counselling?
Send an email to thebloomingpractice@gmail.com or a WhatsApp message to +27 71 342 9810 to make an appointment with me or ask any questions.
I will respond in between seeing clients during the following South African business hours (GMT +2):
- Monday: 08h30 – 19h00 (excluding 10h30 to 13h00)
- Tuesday: 08h30 – 19h00 (excluding 10h30 to 13h00)
- Wednesday: 08h30 – 19h00 (excluding 10h30 to 13h00)
- Thursday: 08h30 – 19h00 (excluding 10h30 to 13h00)
- Friday: Closed
- Saturday: Closed
- Sunday: 09h00 – 13h30
In case of an emergency, go to your nearest police station or to the emergency room of your nearest hospital.
Excited to hear from you!
The Blooming Practice 
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