| Thinking about going for Counseling There was a time right before I had to write my doctoral prelims and I was nervous; no, make that anxiety ridden. I wasn't alone either, one classmate went for daily massage therapy. I went for individual counseling. It was wonderful for a number of reasons. It was good first of all simply be able to sit in a client chair and feel what that feels like. I still remember being nervous before my first appointment. Nervous not only what my counselor would be like, but simply nervous about wondering who was going to be in he waiting room, who would recognize me, and what would I say. Tom Hanks, in the movie 'Sleepless in Seattle' has a number of problems. Many people advise him to go for counseling and he's been given a pocket full of business cards of therapists, but he won't go. Generally going for counseling is much less of a stigma now than it was when I was counseling twenty-five years ago. However, there are still obstacles to be overcome; money is often a major one. So what makes us go? I know that was a question that was upper most in my mind when I saw a seventy year old client some time ago. Yet as I got to know this person, it was wonderful to see that here commitment as a Christian meant that she needed to grow and mature in her walk as a Christian, and she wanted to remove any emotional obstacles that inhibited that. One of the myths about counseling that needs to be highlighted is that counseling can go on for a long time, or that it is expensive. The average number of sessions that we spend with clients is around six or seven and over 90% of the people that have come for help have evaluated our service as being helpful or extremely helpful. Typical situations for which psychotherapy has been found to be extremely helpful include:
I sincerely hope that in your desire to be all that Christ hopes for you, that rather than finding yourself limping along emotionally or in relationships for years and years, you decide to get some resolution or healing for your personal or interpersonal difficulties. Copyright© |