What Is Psychological Counselling?

Psychological counselling is an extensively verbal, interactive, and confidential process involving two or more individuals that revolves around goal-oriented self-disclosure in collaboration with a qualified psychological counsellor. This process involves meticulous analyses of cognitive, behavioural, and emotional problems in order to develop effective, long-term solutions.

Problems Addressed By Psychological Counseling

Myths About Psychological Counseling

Counseling involves mind reading!

Counseling will NEVER involve any form of mind-reading or fortune-telling techniques! Effective counselors build rapport with their clients and it is the client themself that verbally discloses his or her personal issues.

Hypnosis is often involved in counseling!

Only evidence-based cognitive-behavioural therapy techniques are used in therapy. Hypnosis is considered to be an obsolete and often harmful technique that is rarely used in counseling nowadays.

Counselors only give advice!

Counselors are forbidden from giving any form of advise to their clients since every individual is different. What might work for me might not work for you. This is the reason counselors collaborate with clients to come up with solutions that are applicable to that particular client. The counselor comes up with collaborative solutions with the client, based on years of vigorous training. The ultimate decision to engage in any given technique is ALWAYS made by the client.

Counseling is useless without medication!

Research shows that counseling is effective in approximately 60% of cases without the use of medication. Counseling uses intensively researched, valid and reliable therapeutic techniques to address each problem. Each client is different, and all therapeutic techniques are tailored in order to cater to each individual client's needs. Medication is only recommended when a client faces severe cognitive disabilities that may sometimes require institutionalization. Majority of clients benefit extensively from only psychological counseling, without the use of medication.

Going to counseling means I'm crazy!!

One in four individuals suffer from some sort of mental problems without even being aware of it their entire lives! Going to counseling does not mean that someone is clinically insane or "mad." In fact, attending counseling is a sign that you have sufficient cognitive functioning that has alerted you to seek help when you have problems. In a world that is spinning out of control, counseling provides a safe haven where you can share any information in a secure, warm, and compassionate environment. Each of us faces problems in our daily lives, and counseling ensures that these problems do not get out of hand. Even if a problem becomes severe, counseling helps dissipate the problem and provides effective, long-term solutions that safe-guard the client from future relapses.

1. Do you have trouble concentrating at home, school, college, or the workplace?
2. Do you constantly feel lonely, sad, or dejected?
3. Do you have trouble eating, sleeping, or doing the things you used to enjoy?
4. Do you over-indulge in activities that you never used to engage in before?
5. Do you often feel angry without any reason?
6. Do you have significant problems at your school or workplace?
7. Do you face constant conflict in family or intimate relationships?

If the answer to most of the above questions is "YES," you or someone you know may require psychological counseling!