When things in your mind that were once crystal clear start to blur out, uneasiness kicks in and you enter a phase of self-doubt, counseling sessions could become your best bet and teleport your mind to self-awareness. You can have your friends, family or colleagues push you to seek counseling after noticing an uncertainty in your behavior that was uncalled for.

Counseling is a self-relieving practice to revamp your mental health. All kinds of mental disorders, be it major or minor, come under the wide umbrella of what therapy can help you with. A few of these are listed below:

• Anxiety and depression including panic attacks, Agoraphobia, suicidal thoughts, low self-esteem, social anxiety, claustrophobia and generalized anxiety disorder.
• Professional life issues such as stress.
• Relationship problems involving unexpected declines, breakups, loneliness, arguments, jealousy and pre and post-marital problems.
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
• Substance abuse and unwanted addiction.

These or some other feelings of discomfort or you might even have no major issue at all and are just looking to lose the uneasiness within you by confidentially letting things out, counseling is still your way to go!

Dispute between couples is believed to subside via talking their issues out. So yeah, both the partners will be expected to attend the sessions together. However, if due to any emergency one of the partners couldn’t be there, the counselor could meet the available partner. This conversation will then be discussed with the other partner who couldn’t make it to the earlier counseling session.

I, sometimes, take individual sessions too to get familiarized with the emotional baggage of the clients. However, the plan is to solve those issues and bring the couple back together.

Nowadays, therapists also agree to meet with the couples online on Zoom, WhatsApp or Skype, in which case you will be able to communicate your issues better without having to show up at the clinic.

Psychiatrists are qualified doctors who are eligible to prescribe medicines and diagnose mental disorders; while, psychologists are more leaned towards mental health diagnosis and therapy and do not prescribe any medication. Psychotherapists are majorly trained in taking one on one and group sessions with the clients using different modalities including psychotherapy, art and play and body movement. They will preferably collaborate with a psychiatrist to extend any help regarding a chronic mental health issue.

Group therapy sweeps off the idea of loneliness from your mind. Your thoughts and behavior that you once considered deviant resonate with the other members of the group telling you that you’re not alone in this. You are able to practice your skills and receive constructive criticism from your fellows. Seeing the world from their eyes revamps your skills and alters your perceptions about life.

To know more about the pros of group therapy, click here.

Confidentiality is the base of any therapy that you take. However, there are certain limits to it. For example, the code can be broken if you’re at a risk of harming yourself or some other person.

The list of therapeutic approaches is never-ending. It includes psychodynamic psychotherapy, humanistic counseling (also known as ‘person-centered), Cognitive Analytics (CAT), existential therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). In addition to these, certain post-modern approaches such as Emotional Focused Therapy and Narrative Therapy are also available.

But don’t get all worked up. You don’t necessarily have to choose among these in one go. You can have an assessment session with the therapist prior to the counseling that suits you the best. They’ll guide you through the process. Moreover, an integrative therapist, who has expertise in multiple approaches, can work their magic to obtain the best result out of therapy for you.

You might be a well-wisher of your friend, family or partner but you must know that in these cases, consent is very important. If you think counseling is their way to go, talk to them politely into consulting a therapist. Tell them that you care while staying as calm as possible. Do not pressurize them but leave it up to them to make an informed decision after you’ve done your part.

Know that, you can let the therapist know the background of the client on their behalf but you must have their full consent.