aravindashramam@gmail.com +91 9562 0071 65

Benefits Of Counselling

Counselling is often the first and usually one of the best weapons we have against a whole range of psychological issues like depression, grief and anxiety. You could be doing everything right, leading a model life, exercising and getting all the nutrients you need in your diet, but nothing can quite replace the benefits you get from real human interaction – it’s a genuinely unique source of support.

Mental health has often been a taboo subject but now people are beginning to speak about mental health much more. But, counselling is not just for mental health problems, it’s also useful for things like relationship problems, difficult life events and behavioural problems.

Having someone to talk to, who is there specifically to listen to you talk about your feelings, is an invaluable boon to many people. Often people find solace in talking to friends or family, but for many people, this can actually be a barrier to openly and honestly discussing your issues. Many people feel more comfortable talking to a trained professional that can be offered through counselling services. The counsellor is essentially a stranger that will listen to you without judgement. They’re experienced in cognitive behavioural therapy which ensures your counselling session will be guided to helping you with your mental illness so that you can get more from, and improve your quality of life.

People in relationships often see very positive benefits from a specific relationship or couples counselling. Problems in relationships can become deeply entrenched if a couple is unable to openly discuss issues and move past them. Taking the time to talk through such issues with a neutral third party means both sides can air their views whilst someone is there to mediate between them and help them both to see arguments from the other’s perspective.

More About Counsellings

Both Counsellors and Psychotherapists work from a variety of Theoretical Approaches with their clients.Research has found that the ‘relationship’ that develops with the counsellor is as important as any specific approach used.

This is when several distinct models of counselling and psychotherapy are used together. Many of the therapies outlined below are used in the integrative approach.

Coming from the “personal growth movement” this approach encourages people to think about their feelings and take responsibility for their thoughts and actions. Emphasis is on self-development and achieving highest potential. “Client-Centred” or “Non-Directive” approach is often used and the therapy can be described as “holistic” or looking at person as a whole

Mindfulness is a specific way of intentionally paying attention. One negative thought can lead to a chain reaction of negative thoughts. This approach encourages people to be aware of each thought, enabling the first negative thought to be ‘caught’ so that is seen as just a ‘thought’ and not a fact. This breaks the chain reaction of negative thoughts giving a mental ‘space’ in which the person can re-centre themselves in the present. Mindfulness is likely to appeal to therapists who have developed a long-term meditation practice.

Devised by Carl Rogers and also called “Client-Centred” or “Rogerian” counselling, this approach enables the client to come to terms with negative feelings, which may have caused emotional problems, and develop inner resources. The objective is for the client to become able to see himself as a person, with the power and freedom to change, rather than as an object.

This approach stresses the importance of the unconscious and past experience in shaping current behaviour. The client is encouraged to talk about childhood relationships with parents and other significant people and the therapist focuses on the client/therapist relationship (the dynamics) and in particular on the transference. Transference is when the client projects onto the therapist feelings experienced in previous significant relationships. The Psychodynamic approach is derived from Psychoanalysis but usually provides a quicker solution to emotional problems.

This combines Cognitive and Behavioural techniques. Clients are taught ways to change thoughts and expectations and relaxation techniques are used. It has been effective for stress-related ailments, phobias, obsessions, eating disorders and (at the same time as drug treatment) major depression.

This therapy focuses on the whole of the client’s experience, including feelings, thoughts and actions. The client gains self-awareness in the `here and now’ by analysing behaviour and body language and talking about bottled up feelings.