Can mental health counseling change my life?

mental health counseling
mental health counseling

Every generation says that in their time things were easier, stress was lower, life was easier going. Perhaps when you are old enough you will say the same, however, in the meantime, you surely do not agree. Life is a race for success, relationship searching, money chasing, getting from month to month hoping that things will get better. And they will… If you do something about it!

All that chasing leaves a mark on your body as well as on your peace of mind, and that can bring up a ton of other problems, which ultimately end up with one or more mental health issues. Most of you suffer from some mental issue, from mildest to more severe, and most of you are not even aware, can’t accept it, or just don’t recognize it. But if the problem persists you are endangering your quality of life, as well as on the people surrounding you.

Mental health counseling by BetterHelp can make a change in your life, if you are willing to give it a try, and stay on that path of self-helping yourself. You might feel embarrassed about sharing your deepest secrets with a stranger, or you might feel silly about going to a counselor and you are part of the “I am not mad to go there”, feel your friends will make fun of you. Wrong, wrong, wrong! The point of talking to a mental health counselor is to improve your quality of life, which magically affects the people in your closest surroundings. Everything you share with your counselor stays there, and absolutely nobody will ever know about it, your best listener who wants only the best for you.

Imagine that you are just too afraid to admit that something is pushing you around, and you burry it with anger, fear, anxiety, or worse. Your therapist will uncover those feelings, guide you to do it yourself, and direct their influence into positive thinking, use them to try and solve your problems.

How does it work? First, the counselor will build a strategy during the initial meeting, or in the next one or two meetings, a strategy meant to fulfill your goals. This includes new ways of thinking, new paths of communication, new aspects of everyday life, and most important, experimenting with all of them until you find your fit. During therapy, you will face a wide range of feelings, not all good, however. First, there is the fear of failure, which usually lasts only until the beginning of the first session, and then there is safety and comfort in the presence of your counselor. During the session, you will certainly feel anxiety, sadness, fear, and discomfort as you dig deeper and find certain things about you weren’t even aware you had. But these things will only uncover yourself, and help you understand a lot about you and your effect on your surroundings, and this is the stage where you start feeling hope and joy because you will finally be able to make a change about yourself and your views of all around you and in you.

How many therapies are needed? Complicated questions because the answer to it depends on many factors, among which the most important is the reason why you are there. Some minds are more sensitive than others and need more care, some problems need more fixing, and be prepared to spend some time with your counselor. Usually, the counselor will schedule a timeframe of 6 to 12 session, can last a bit longer, but most of the times, not shorter. And even you finish therapy, the practice remains for the rest of your life, and you should continue working on your mind by yourself. Think of it as a gym to your mind and soul, you have to spend some time if you want to have a fit mind and soul, and some days will be harder than others, but in due time, you will see results.

Of course, there are different types of therapy regarding time and means of practice. Therapy can be:

  • Time-limited – where after a previously agreed number of sessions your therapy will come to an end, which is a usual practice for appointed counselors, whether by the state or your employer or by court order!
  • Open-ended – means practice might last as long as you want to last. Private counselors usually practice this method, because you pay by session

And there is again the type of practice regarding individual or group sessions. One on one sessions are good for the beginning, but experience has shown that group sessions also have a very good success rate in helping people with various issues. And don’t be surprised if the counselor asks you to invite some family members, or your partner, many times this helps more than the whole therapy.

And of course, there is the fear that your whole experience with therapy was for nothing, or even worse, that things will be even worse, and you are right to have that fear because that fear will guide you to the right therapist. Not all therapies work, and the results mostly depend on the expertise of your counselor, of his/her state of mind at the moments of therapy. Choosing your counselor is critical, checking his/her recommendations, license validation, experience in a certain area, things that you can easily find online, or things that can be checked by your physician.

Seeking the right counselor can also be done online, and therapies can be done online too. Some services offer therapy online, solo therapy or group therapy, phone or video, or even texting with your counselor. If you are not certain the type of help you need, maybe you should first visit some online service, licensed and verified, and see if you truly need help. After one session the online counselor will surely direct you if you should go on, and whether you should go on online, or seek a face-to-face therapy.

Resources:

  1. https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/counseling/mental-health-counseling-can-make-a-difference-in-your-life/
  2. https://theeverygirl.com/therapy-changed-my-life/
  3. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/the-secret-to-therapy-how-a-good-therapist-can-help-you-change-your-life-for-the-better/
  4. https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/drugs-and-treatments/talking-therapy-and-counselling/what-happens-in-therapy/
  5. https://www.menshealth.com/health/a32420664/therapy-changed-life/
  6. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/may/26/misjudged-counselling-psychological-therapy-harmful-study-reveals
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I'm NOT a doctor! I'm just passionate about health and healthy leaving. The information on this website, such as graphics, images, text and all other materials, is provided for reference and educational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professional. The content is not intended to be complete or exhaustive or to apply to any specific individual's medical condition.