When life is challenging, help is available.
Take a look at your life. Really take a look.
Do you find that you are –
- Feeling down and finding most days are difficult to get through
- Worrying constantly
- Overwhelmed and dissatisfied
- Stuck, discouraged or frustrated with life
- Recovering from a trauma
- Having a hard time adjusting to changes in your life
- In a crisis …
Individual counseling can be the lens that helps you gain a clearer picture of your life.
What’s the point of individual counseling?
You have mental and emotional needs. We all do. However, sometimes we’re not particularly adept at meeting, or even recognizing, them. Your thoughts and emotions need as much care as your body. We all need to address the core part of us that wants to be seen, heard, and known.
Individual counseling can help meet those needs.
Think of individual counseling as the ultimate self-care process. It gives you the tools to improve your life. It can help you to understand yourself, why you think and behave the way you do, and how to resolve the things that keep you from living a better life.
Why wouldn’t you want to feel better?
Truthfully, it isn’t that unusual for people to put off individual counseling, no matter how unhappy they may be. It may seem that bringing personal or painful issues into the open will just make things worse. Can you relate to these common objections to individual therapy?
Shame and Stigma: “I’m stronger/smarter/better than that.”
Many of us resign ourselves to less than optimal mental health, or unfulfilled relationships, because we think our bootstraps should be enough to hold us up, when we’re hurting emotionally or mentally unhealthy.
Too often, people buy into the idea that depression, anxiety, or any type of mental health struggle means we are somehow inadequate, or inept, at running our own lives. The message we’ve internalized is that seeking help for our bodies is smart, but help for our minds is shameful.
Reject the idea that you must suffer alone. Accepting help is the first step to feeling better, and moving forward.
Expense: “I don’t have enough money for that.”
There are some things worth paying for, and therapists recognize monetary constraints. Prioritize your peace of mind. Communicate your monetary situation to your chosen therapist. Don’t let money stand in the way of your mental health.
Time and Energy: “I’m too busy for that.”
In today’s world, time is at a premium. Most people find the time they spend improving their thinking and their choices is significantly shorter compared to the time spent worrying, arguing, ruminating, or burying the very problems they might resolve in counseling.
Start with just a few scheduled therapy sessions. You always have the option of increasing or decreasing therapy time, as you feel comfortable.
Severity: “It’s not bad enough for that.”
Too frequently, mental health assistance is regarded as a last resort. People suffer needlessly and continually, exacerbating problems like poor relationships, mood disorders, or self-esteem issues that may be significantly improved by early intervention.
Your therapist wants to help you clear your mind, work through the feelings that have taken you to a negative place, and help you find the right direction for you.
Embrace individual counseling
If you have struggled on your own, talked to family and friends and are still not finding solutions to your problems, it may be time to seek individual counseling services from a licensed mental health counselor.
In a safe and supportive environment you can take the opportunity to get to know yourself better and stop the endless cycle of sadness, hopelessness, worry and despair. By actively participating in the process you can become a stronger, more emotionally secure, and capable version of yourself.