Counselling in Kitchener-Waterloo
A number of large agencies provide counselling in Kitchener-Waterloo, such as KW Counselling and Mosaic. These agencies have a wide variety of services they use Students or Interns to provide a large majority of the counselling. It can be a much longer wait for a Therapist with experience providing counselling. Larger agencies providing counselling in Kitchener-Waterloo must be accredited by the government and meet a list of standards set out by the government, most of which are demonstrated in the counselling notes.
An intake is commonly the first step in accessing counselling in Kitchener-Waterloo During the intake, you provide your personal information, the reason you are seeking counselling, and preferences for a Therapist – i.e. male or female. Then a file is created and assigned the professional who will be providing counselling.
An intake is commonly the first step in accessing counselling in Kitchener-Waterloo During the intake, you provide your personal information, the reason you are seeking counselling, and preferences for a Therapist – i.e. male or female. Then a file is created and assigned the professional who will be providing counselling.
Counselling in Kitchener-Waterloo: Counselling from a private practice
A professional providing counselling in Kitchener-Waterloo must be registered with his or her college or association. For instance, a Therapist with a Masters of Social Work is registered with the College of Social Workers. He or she must meet certain standards in order to maintain registration with the college and to continue providing counselling. These standards include demonstrating professionalism, ensuring confidentiality, and participating in ongoing learning and development in counselling skills.
There are no standards regarding how much experience a Therapist needs before providing counselling through a private practice. Many Therapists understand the importance of experience and supervision and gain years of experience counselling first. As a result, you can often quickly access a Therapist with experience when choosing private practice for counselling in Kitchener-Waterloo Learn more about How to Choose a Therapist.
There are no standards regarding how much experience a Therapist needs before providing counselling through a private practice. Many Therapists understand the importance of experience and supervision and gain years of experience counselling first. As a result, you can often quickly access a Therapist with experience when choosing private practice for counselling in Kitchener-Waterloo Learn more about How to Choose a Therapist.
What is Counselling?
Often people seek counselling when a problem – such as depression, anxiety, addiction, or anger, is interfering with well-being, relationships, and functioning. Therefore, the purpose of counselling therapy is to find ways of solving the problem thereby improving well-being, relationships, and functioning.
Counselling: A Variety of Helping Professionals
Many people think counselling therapy is offered by a Psychiatrist or a Psychologist. While this is true in some case, counselling is most often offered by a Registered Social Worker or Marriage and Family Therapist. Read more about the differences between professionals offering counselling therapy: How to Choose a Therapist.
Counselling: The Client is the Expert on the Situation
Many people also think that counselling is about receiving advice in order to fix a problem. While the Therapist will have a specialized knowledge of treatment methods; in counselling therapy, the client is considered the expert on his or her own problems and situation. Counselling helps the client find his or her own answers to fix the problem. Treatment methods used in counselling therapy are simply a means to achieve this end.
Counselling: Making Progress and Showing Improvement
In order for Agencies, offering counselling therapy, to be accredited by the Government they must show that goals have been collaboratively developed with clients and progress towards those goals has been measured. Good counselling therapy should result in improvement. In order to achieve improvement, specific goals need to be identified and strategies to achieve those goals need to be developed even after the first session of counselling therapy. Counselling therapy can involve a variety of approaches, but no matter the approach there should be measurable progress made.
Counselling Therapy: Different Ways of Making Progress and Improvement
Sometimes the act of another person listening empathetically in counselling therapy can be therapeutic. Sometimes counselling therapy can simply be an opportunity for person to get feelings off his or her chest, to use it as a venue of expressing emotions in order to feel better. Sometimes a Therapist can give his or her own perspective on the problem or situation to help improve well-being or contribute to problem solving. Often times, however, counselling therapy involves the use of research proven treatment methods such as CBT Counselling and Solution Focused Brief Therapy.
Counselling Therapy: Research Based Methods of Treatment
A number of treatment methods are used in counselling therapy which have been proven effective by a large body of scientific research. Two common treatment methods used in counselling therapy are CBT Counselling and Solution Focused Brief Therapy. CBT Counselling (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) is used in counselling therapy by having a client identify emotional thinking and create more realistic thinking to improve well-being. Solution Focused Brief Therapy is also used in counselling therapy by having a client recall solutions used in the past to successfully solve a similar problem and then to apply them to the current problem or situation.
Counselling Therapy: Improvement Results from Hard Work
The factor which most influences improvement comes after the counselling therapy session. A client's openness and honesty during a session is important, in order to develop the most effective strategies. More importantly, the client needs persist in applying those strategies long term. Counselling Therapy is the first step to improving well-being and functioning.
You can also read more about my Counselling Skills and background as a Child and Youth Counsellor which allow me to provide these counselling services.
You can also read more about my Counselling Skills and background as a Child and Youth Counsellor which allow me to provide these counselling services.
Ryan is also an Anti-Bullying Motivational Speaker - presentations to inspire students to stand up against bullying in schools, as well as a Guest Speaker for a variety of other topics. He travels any distance but will speak in Kitchener, Guelph, Hamilton, London, Toronto, Mississauga, Barrie, Markham, St. Catharines, Milton, Oakville, Burlington, Stratford, Owen Sound, Oshawa, Ottawa, Windsor, Kingston, New Market.
