Do you sometimes feel that you need to vent out your negativity to someone? Do you sometimes feel like sharing your deepest problems with someone? Do you feel that sometimes even your family and friends don’t have the solutions to your problems? If yes then you need to visit a professional counselling to get rid of all your doubts.
Counselling could be defined as a therapeutic experience for otherwise reasonably healthy persons faced with problems. According to Rogers (1942) “effective counselling consists of definitely structured permissive relationship which allows the client to gain an understanding of him to a degree which enables her/him to take positive steps in the light of her/his new orientation.”
A person who provides counselling is known as a Counsellor while the one who receives it is a Counselee.
A popular definition is, “counselling is an interactive process conjoining the counselling who needs assistance and the counsellor who is trained and educated to give the assistance” (Perez, 1965). The counsellor can initiate, facilitate and maintain the interactive process if she or he communicates feelings of spontaneity, warmth, tolerance, respect and sincerity.
Rogers describes Counselling as the process by which the structure of the self is relaxed in the safety of the clients relationship with the counsellor, and previously denied experiences are perceived and then integrated into an altered self.
Basically, it is the process of assisting and guiding clients, especially by a trained person on a professional basis, to resolve social, emotional or psychological problems and difficulties. Counselling is a process of talking about and working through your personal problems with a counsellor. The counsellor helps you to address your problems in a positive way by helping you to clarify the issues, explore options, develop strategies and increase self-awareness.
There are quite a few serious misconceptions regarding counselling.
1. It is only for people with serious mental health issues
2. It is about just giving information to the counselee
3. It is about just interviewing the counsellee
4. Admitting that you need counselling means you’re weak
5. The counsellor doesn’t know me so they can’t help me
6. All counsellors are the same if you didn’t have success with one, it work with others too.
Counselling is concerned with bringing about a voluntary change in the counsellee. To this end, the counsellor facilitates to help achieve the desired change or make the suitable choice. The counsellee alone is responsible for the decisions on the choices he makes, though the counsellor may assist in this process by his warmth and understanding relationship.
So next time if you feel upset and think of consulting someone, do feel free to get a professional help which can guide you towards a healthy mind.