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The counsellor can ask questions to help the person analyse their issues and think up solutions themselves.
Reply 2
From my own experience it can help, only if the person wants to be helped. Plus, they can give you solutions but again, it's about being motivated.
Reply 3
I've had counselling for some while and I still am for some issues.

It does help to talk things over with someone instead of getting pented up if you see what I mean.

If you don't trust your counsellor in my opinion it don't work.
You considering seeing a counsellor? :smile:
The counsellors themselves don't offer solutions because it's not their job, it's their job to make the person being counselled see a solution if that makes sense!
Reply 5
some people find the very act of talking about a problem therapeutic in itself.

Sometimes a counsellor can propose solutions to a problem that the "patient" hasn't thought of by themselves.

Sometimes a counsellor (like a psychologist) can point out mistakes in the patient's thinking or factors that are contributing to the patient's problems

(I'm using "patient" because I don't really know if there's atechnical term to describe someone who receives counselling! counsellee???)
I think they normally use client?
they throw extra ideas into the mix to help you understand why you fell like you do and how you can overcome it
Reply 8
having read books on counselling (and been on the receiving end), it seems to be that the ideal counseller is kind of a medium - connecting up your head with your mouth. so you say something, but your head's so mixed up that you're not really listening to what you're saying yourself.
counselling is sposed to be about helping people to learn how to make decisions that are good for them, identifying your weaknesses and strengths and acting upon them.

however, in practice, i've no idea how many counsellers follow this way. i'm in my 2nd week and my counseller seems ok, but for the first week, we really didn't get on.
Reply 9
I am considering seeing a counsellor soon, which is why this thread interests me.

For the past 3 years I have been on a slippery slope to social anxiety/depression which has basically ruined my social life, affected my uni work, my uni life and is now affecting my work. I cannot escape the routine of needing to do something about it but then having 5 days at work and, essentially, using the weekend to 'recover' from my anxiety of the previous week, it then begins again. I am due to take exams in December so am going to be busy until then, which means that is another 1.5 months of feeling like this. It will then be another miserable (for me personally) Christmas and I will just be going round in circles.

I am aware that one can be signed off work with stress but am not prepared to do this as I am well aware how it will be perceived in the workplace; people do not understand, even if they say they do.

However, I have been reading a self help book and I know exactly what the issues are, exactly what behaviours I exhibit and my symptoms are the classic ones outlined in the book. I am sceptical about wasting time seeing a counsellor because we will just talk about stuff that I talk about, inside my own head, all day every day. I know what I need to do but I just cannot do it. How on earth does a 25 year old, low on confidence, with no friends, no hobbies and obsessive characteristics go about making new friends. I feel that I have nothing to give, so will be just wasting my time completely. I know that I need to learn more stuff, take up new hobbies and find new interests but there just isn't the time. I could spend years trying things until I find out exactly what I like, by which time my problems would have escalated. It's a mess.

Can anyone offer any advice in response to this ramble?!
I took a course on counselling before...honestly, it would never help me. Basically, we're not supposed to give solutions, it's more a case of asking questions and repeating things back at you until you can see the answers for yourself.
Reply 11
Surely there must be more to it than that?

I could sit down and question myself and write everything down on paper. I'm reading a self help book on social anxiety and can't believe that everything a counsellor would do is from such a book. Why would there be work for them otherwise?!
Reply 12
A few people have said that I would possibly benefit from counselling - I sometimes think I have anger/paranoia/OCD-ish issues too. I have never known how it would possibly help, and I never really knew where to start looking.
I've been recieving counselling for 8 years now. The counsellors themselves come and go which disrupts any progress that I have been making with them. It does depend on the counsellor because some will be helpful whereas others are constant clock-watchers, not wanting you to run over their time.
They have experience of many different things, and also know certain thought patterns and phsycology behind why you may feel a certain way, and whats behind it. What i've taken from counselling is a way of understanding what the problems are, why i feel that way about them and gaining the sense of optermism and enthusiasm to then move on from that situation.
anna_spanner89
I was just wondering how counselling can help people?

Surely its simply sitting down and talking about issues..but do they ever offer a solution? How can talking about a problem solve it?

I never thought I'd ever see a counselor in my life but issues I was having with my mom pushed me to it. They really help, especially when they can relate to what you're going through. I got it all out of my system, everything I wanted to say and all .. and then my second session, my counselor asked me questions and worked on how I could change the situation. It actually did help me ...
How do you acsess counselling, it looks rather expensive at around £30 a session.
Are you at uni? If yes then they will have their own free counselling service. If not, your gp can refer you, that shouldnt cost anything i dont think.
My Mum's a counsellor and from what she says it's about the client coming up with their own solutions. She isn't there to preach or tell someone what to do, but she can guide them towards coming up with answers to their problems etc.

It also depends what model the counsellor uses- e.g. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy looks at finding practical ways of dealing with a problem (so for example it may be used in an ex-drug user trying to stay clean), or the psychodynamic approach which looks at why a person is like they are (their history, past experiences etc).

That said, I'm not sure if I would benefit from counselling as I think it would be hard for me to tell everything to a total stranger. Apparently it's very cathartic though, and is actually often easier to talk to someone outside your family/friends. I don't know, I'm considering it.
If i went through my gp, how long would it take for me to be seen??