The Benefits of Counseling!
Orlando Thrive Counselor Weighs In
What are some benefits from counseling or therapy in Orlando? Is it really only for someone that has mental health “problems?” When a person thinks of counseling or therapy, they are often quick to refer back to the old ideas that only “crazy” people need help with their minds. The reality is that everyone can benefit from using counseling and therapy. Having an impartial, objective viewpoint from someone that is completely removed from your life can be a vital tool to help unlock road blocks that have been keeping a person from reaching their fullest potential.
Counseling and therapy has the ability to take a person from one mindset to another. It creates space to allow for perspective from viewpoints that might not have previously been considered. Being able to process thoughts with a neutral objective person creates a safety zone, free of judgement and harsh criticism. A counselor or therapist has no emotional connection to the situation being presented and the client has the opportunity to receive feedback from someone that is not a friend, a family member or a loved one that might have a greater interest at heart. The feedback is beneficial to consider and allows a person to make decisions based on unbiased information and dialogue. There are no greater words to a therapist’s ear than hearing a client say emphatically, “I never thought of it that way until now,” and seeing their eyes change with a new awareness is priceless.
Counselors & Therapists help develop insight and new perspective.
Counseling has come a long way from the old adage of using each session to delve into a person’s youngest childhood memories. Counselors and therapists are now trained well enough to be ever cognoscente of what time periods are relevant to each individual session, if any at all. Therapy does require a little bit of background work, but a skilled therapist will acknowledge the truly important aspects of a person’s history and find the right times to highlight them. Many clients come into their first session feeling like the “past is the past,” but what they come to eventually learn is that the past has a great influence over what drives future behavior. Everyone is a product of their up-bringing and family experiences shape and mold the core of who we are as individuals. Clients who can discover new information about why they think the way they think, act the way they act, and make the decisions that they make can begin to form connections that didn’t exist before. These connections allow them to make informed decisions on whether certain behaviors serve a purpose for them now, like they did before, and also allows them to decide to choose their own courses of action, rather than conditioned responses. Having improved self-awareness and greater insight into yourself has the potential to open up new possibilities for your personal happiness in all aspects of your life, with work, love, and family.
Relationships benefit from counseling.
One of the most commonly sought reasons for therapy is for relationship or couples counseling. No two people think alike or communicate the same way. When the endorphin’s leave any relationship, the real “getting to know you” kicks in and that can be tricky. Couples start out with great intentions and with time relationships either get stronger or they begin to break down. Where the break down usually starts to occur is with communication barriers. Therapists are trained in many specific ways to help individuals, families, or couples relate to each other better and communicate more effectively. Oftentimes it takes little more than the teaching and practice of a few specific techniques for a dynamic between two or more people to shift in a more positive direction. During couples or family counseling, clients typically gain a greater understanding of each other’s needs and how they can work better as a team rather than remaining at odds with each other. The communication techniques that a person, a family, or a couple learns in counseling will have a positive impact on the way they communicate within all aspects of their life as well.
Short Solution-Focused therapy or counseling is the most successful treatment.
Counseling and therapy doesn’t have to be a long process either. A lot of people have the misconception that you will need to come every week for months on end. Quite the opposite is actually true. A well-trained and seasoned therapist can take a person through a succinct amount of sessions quite successfully. This is especially true if a person is willing to be open to the process, themselves, and the new shift in perspective. Sometimes clients ask, “How long will this take?” or “How often do I need to come in?” This question can be applied to any area that one wishes to invest some time in self-care. How many days a week do you need to commit to exercise to lose the weight you gained over the past 10 years? How many times do you need to visit your hair stylist to achieve the style you want while your hair is getting longer, or finding the right color? The duration and frequency is individual and unique to each specific person, but there is an end, and there should be. The measurement of success by any counselor, therapist or life coach, is the end of a great therapeutic relationship. Maintenance visits often occur, just like oil changes for your car engine, but they become fewer and more far between, and much more efficient each time. The goal is always to help a person achieve their optimum performance with as little intervention as possible.
Career Counseling offers individuals insight.
Career counseling is another area that has grown for therapists to be able to help individuals in. Job satisfaction is paramount to sustaining a well-balanced life and over-all happiness. When people are not in positions that they even remotely enjoy or feel rewarded by, this can begin to negatively impact other areas of their lives that have been going well. Choosing the right career, job, or position can be a challenge for anyone and even more challenging can be making a change from one career to another if there isn’t a good fit. Counselors and life coaches are able to help people determine where their strengths and weaknesses are, how they can build a better portfolio or resume, and what types of environments they would thrive in. Even finding out what motivates an individual is an asset to determining what fields would be a good fit, because not all careers offer the same types of rewards or compensation plans. Counseling has an ability to tap into undiscovered areas that you may not have known or considered about yourself and can illicit new excitement and passion for what you might like to do with your skills and unique traits.
Counseling is extremely helpful for anyone.
With all of these amazing benefits to counseling, there is no question that counseling or therapy is the right fit for just about anyone. These benefits are only the tip of the iceberg and touch on just a few key areas that someone might seek therapy for. Making the decision to invest time in yourself is an easy one. Mental health strength is just as important as your physical strength, but it sometimes gets put on the back burner. Perhaps the reason for that is due to not being able to visually see the cues of fatigue or atrophy like one can see on a specific body feature. Most counselors, therapists, and life coaches have a strong philosophy that true healing starts from within and there is a vast amount of research that proves this tenfold. As we become more evolved and progressive as a society, letting go of old stigmas, accepting new norms, and continue to pursue out-of-the-box thinking, not only will we become better humans, but the world will become a better place too.
To find out if therapy might be right for you or someone you know, send an email to orlandothrivetherapy@gmail.com or call the office today at 407-592-8997 for a free 15-20 minute phone consultation to see if counseling might be right for you. Your call or email will be 100% confidential. Our counselors can help you determine what the best course of action might be for you; Without judgement, without stigma, and with the experience to get you to the person you want to be.
