We’ve all had times when life seems to throw us lemons, whether in our relationships, work, family, finances, health or several areas at once.
It’s easy and human to react, to feel overwhelmed, anxious, sad, frustrated; we all have different reactions to stress. For the most part, with the help of family and friends or using our own past experience and resources, we get through a difficult patch. However, sometimes the level of stress may feel too overwhelming, difficult to cope with, or you may feel a sense of confusion and being ‘stuck’. This is where counselling can help.
What is counselling?
Counselling is a process intended to help an individual take more effective control of their life. Counselling is a collaborative effort between the counsellor and the client. This process offers an opportunity for you to talk about concerns, thoughts and feelings that are important to you with a trained and objective counsellor in a confidential setting.
A counsellor can help you to learn new skills, reflect on patterns of behaviours, examine beliefs and ways of thinking about the world and adopt a new perspective on situations so that you will be more capable of solving problems on your own in the future. By building upon your personal strengths, improving communication and coping skills, and strengthening self-esteem, you will learn more effective ways of dealing with your concerns. Although counselling is usually between you, the ‘client’ and the counsellor, you can also be seen as part of a couple or family.
How to find a counsellor
A counselling session is usually conducted in a comfortable office type setting, but more recently we have seen the growth of online/tele-counselling.
Like any purchase or investment, it pays to do your research and find the counsellor who will best suit your needs. The telephone listings and Internet will give you access to counselling agencies or companies, as well as counsellors with their individual private practice.
Counsellors use different approaches, such as a psychodynamic, cognitive behavioural therapy, solution-focused etc, and often use a combination of therapy models. They are usually trained to master’s level, often with postgraduate training, and it’s reasonable when at the research stage to check on the individual qualifications, ways of working and experience.
Beware of so called ‘experts’ or counsellors who may set themselves up to be a ‘specialist’ after a short course, or may have little or no experience in that field.
Another way to find out about who may suit you as a counsellor is word of mouth. A trusted friend or family member or co-worker may have a personal recommendation.
Regarding payment, counselling isn’t cheap. However, it’s good to view it as an investment in yourself. Some companies provide counselling as an employee benefit and contract a company such as the Employee Assistance Programme to provide confidential counselling at no cost to the client; some insurance may cover counselling, or the cost is something you will have to personally fund. However, any positive investment in you is valuable. Think about how much money we waste on other things that aren’t so good for us!
The first appointment?
This initial appointment or ‘intake’ is the chance for you to start to talk about your current issues and for you to assess whether the counsellor is someone you can work with. Having counselling is extremely personal, so it’s important that you ‘have the right ‘fit’; feel free to decide not to book a second session if for any reason you don’t feel comfortable. Your counsellor should understand this, and one session may be all you feel you need.
This first meeting is also an opportunity to discus confidentiality. As counsellors, we work under a strict code of ethics and are registered with the Cayman Islands Board of Health Practitioners. Confidentiality should mean that the content and any details about you are kept strictly between you and your counsellor; this is of the utmost importance. This is especially important living in a small community such as Cayman, where, unlike a big city, you may have family and friends living locally.
At the end of the session you and your counsellor may discuss what you want to achieve as a ‘goal’ and this can then be planned with the counsellor as part of your treatment.
Emma Roberts is an EAP counsellor. If you would like to discuss this or any other issue then contact one of our professional counsellors at EAP for a confidential appointment on 949-9559.
EAP counselling
If you would like to discuss this or any other issue then contact one of our professional counsellors at EAP for a confidential appointment on 949-9559.
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