What is Counselling Therapy?
Often people seek counselling therapy 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 Therapy: A Variety of Helping ProfessionalsMany people think counselling therapy is offered by a Psychiatrist or a Psychologist. While this is true in some case, counselling therapy 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 Therapy: The Client is the Expert on the SituationMany people also think that counselling therapy 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 therapy 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 Therapy: Making Progress and Showing ImprovementIn 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 ImprovementSometimes 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 TreatmentA 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 WorkThe 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. |
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.
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