According to the American Counseling Association, counseling is a “professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals.” This formal definition informs us that counseling is for everyone for a variety of purposes. My favorite word in this definition is “empower.” Counselors seek to help individuals tap into the strength and power within themselves that can aid in the renewing of their well-being.
What do counselors do?
Counselors receive a great deal of education and experience backed by theories and proven research-based methods. (Read more about my education and experiences). While all of this is important and necessary, the counselor-client relationship is one of the strongest factors in the healing process. You want to be heard and understood without judgement. We strive to provide an environment and relationship with space to be vulnerable and connect in order to heal.
How does counseling work?
There are 168 hours in a week, and the counseling session is only one of those hours. While that hour can be powerful, the transformation really happens in the other 167 hours. Counseling requires work, and sometimes that work is painful, frustrating, and just plain hard. However, that work can change your life. Would that make the difficulty worth it? On the other hand, the work can be freeing, liberating and exciting. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Counseling seeks to create space for awareness and insight resulting in movement on the client’s part to evoke change!
Read our blog on how to pick the right counselor, or contact us if you have more questions about whether counseling is right for you!
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