7 TIPS TO HELP YOU DECIDE IF YOU SHOULD SEE A COUNSELLOR

Everyone experiences challenges at some stage in their life.  While you can talk to your family and friends, it is often easier to talk to a professional counsellor.  For many people, just having someone to talk to and be listened to, in a confidential, safe, supportive and non-judgemental environment is extremely helpful.

 

So, if you are considering seeing a counsellor, but not too sure what to expect, I have set out some information below which I hope will put you more at ease with your decision.

 

What Is Counselling?

Counselling is where you talk about and work through your problems with a trained counsellor. 

 

The counsellor’s role is to listen to the client, help them identify and define their issues, explore options and develop strategies to help the client achieve their goals and gain an understanding of their lives.  This will help the client to gain the skills required to take control of their lives by learning to think in new ways, manage any difficult emotional experiences more effectively and practice different ways of behaving.

 

Counsellors can also assist clients to develop new life skills to help them solve other problems in their lives.  They provide the client with the opportunity to gain a better understanding of who they are, where they want to be and how to get there. 

 

Why Go To Counselling?

People go to counselling for many reasons.  They generally go to counselling as they are emotionally distressed and cannot see a way of solving their problems and therefore need to speak to someone in the hope of finding a solution to their problems.

 

While some clients come to counselling for help with an emotional or distressing situation, others come for help to create meaning in their lives or to develop lifestyle skills.

 

Some of these reasons to attend counselling are:

• Grief and loss
• Anxiety and stress
• Relationship and communication issues
• Self-esteem
• Abuse and trauma
• Work issues
• Life transitions – new baby, separation/divorce, death of a loved one, ageing parents, changing careers, empty nest syndrome

 

Benefits of Counselling

There are many benefits of counselling including:

• Counselling can help you have more fulfilling relationships. Counselling can help you address difficulties you may have with others such as trust or your own insecurities.
• Counselling can improve many areas of your life. If you feel like something is holding you back from living your best life, your counsellor can assist you to gain a better understanding of what is holding you back and provide you with strategies to move forward.
• Counselling can help you achieve your goals. Counselling can help you set goals and set realistic steps to meet them.
• You will understand yourself better. Counsellors will listen to your story – past and present – and help you make connections between what has happened previously and how that is affecting you now.
• You will have better health. Good health includes both your physical health and your mental health.  If you have good emotional health, this will provide you with the resilience to deal with any physical health issues.

 

Professional Qualifications of a Counsellor

In Australia, there is no law that requires a person to have qualifications as a counsellor.  It is important, therefore, that you ensure your counsellor is qualified and is a member of a counselling association such as the Australian Counselling Association (ACA).

 

Confidentiality

Everything you discuss in a counselling session is confidential.  This is in accordance with the Privacy Act 2000.  However, there are some circumstances in which counsellors may be required to break confidentiality.  Some of these include:

• If the counsellor considers you to be at risk of seriously harming yourself or someone else
• If your counselling records have been requested by a court of law
• If another party or agency has requested your information, and you have agreed and provided your written consent to this.

 

Is Counselling Covered by Medicare or Private Health Insurance?

Due to current legislative restrictions, you are unable to claim a Medicare rebate for your consultation with a counsellor.  For this reason, counsellor’s fees are much lower than psychologists.

 

Some private health insurance providers cover you for counselling, but not all. You should check your private health insurance provider to see if a refund is available through them for your consultation.

 

Do You Need a Referral to See a Counsellor?

You do not need a referral from your doctor or a Mental Health Plan to see a counsellor.  This is only required if you wish to see a psychologist.  While there are some instances where you may require a psychologist, you should be aware that if you do get a Mental Health Plan, a psychologist will generally diagnose you with a medical condition and this will be recorded on your medical records. This means that this may have a negative impact on you in the future as it could affect:

• Life insurance applications and coverage
• Applying for a position within a field that requires a mental evaluation such as the police or ambulance service
• Future employment opportunities or promotions

So, if you need to speak to someone for what could be “short term” issues such as work stress or a relationship issue, it may be more beneficial to see a counsellor so that it does not affect you in the future.

 

If you need to talk to someone, contact me now to discuss your situation and find out how I can help.