Location: Individual Counseling - Get The Most Out Of Counseling
Getting The Most Out Of Counseling
Define your goals. Think about what you would like to
get out of counseling. It might be helpful to jot down a list
of events, relationship issues, and feelings that you think
are contributing to your distress. Take time before each session
to consider your expectations for that session. As counseling
progresses, longer-term goals may emerge along with some ideas
about how to progress toward these goals.
Consider how you feel about the counseling relationship. Since a good working
relationship is vital to successful counseling, you will want to experience
a satisfying level of trust and understanding with your counselor. Nonetheless,
self-exploration and change involve hard work, and sometimes painful feelings
are stirred up in the process of healing. Therefore, it may be unrealistic
to expect that you will feel completely comfortable at all times with your
counselor. Counselors are trained to pay close attention to these issues and
will probably encourage you to discuss these feelings openly. Because counseling
is a mutual enterprise, you and your counselor may also make adjustments in
your working style to better meet your needs for both encouragement and support.
Be an active participant. This is your counseling process, so
be as active as you wish in deciding how to use the time. Be honest
with the counselor and give her or him feedback about how you see the
sessions progressing.
Recognize and express feelings. The recognition, acceptance, and expression
of feelings pave the way for personal growth and change. Thoughts and feelings
are equally important in working through difficulties. Your counselor will
work with you to integrate your thoughts and emotions in a balanced way.
Be patient with yourself. Growth takes time, effort, and patience.
All of your coping skills, behavior patterns and self-perceptions have
been learned and reinforced over a long period of time. Changing what
has become such an integral part of yourself is very difficult and
at times slow. By having patience with yourself and accepting and understanding
the natural resistance we all feel toward change, you set the foundation
for developing and changing in more appropriate and satisfying directions