How can counseling help?
Most people wonder how talking to a perfect stranger, albeit a trained professional, can help someone feel better and improve their lives. In 1994, Consumer Reports surveyed nearly 3,000 people who had been in therapy during the previous 3 years. Over 90% reported significant long-term improvement. How does talking to a professional lead to that kind of long-term improvement? How can a counselor be more effective than a caring family member or friend?
Ever feel like the weight of the world is in your hands? Counseling can help!
Here are some thoughts:
- A family member or friend is too emotionally involved. When a loved one offers advice, it is often met with anger or rebellion.
- A family member may be part of the problem. Just as a medical doctor can prescribe things to improve your physical health, a professional counselor prescribes activities to improve mental health.
- The average person has no idea why they feel the way they do, nor do they have a clue as to how to change behavior.
- In today’s isolated world, many people don’t have close family to advise and counsel.
- Counselors provide concrete strategies grounded in theory, much of which is research based, in order to increase the likelihood of desired behavioral change.
- Counselors are experts in human behavior; they teach clients healthy ways to cope with life’s stressors, how to cultivate healthy relationships or repair strained ones.
- If one could easily change negative, unproductive or destructive behavior on one’s own, our world would be a very different place.