Introduction to Counselling
Healthcare and related professionals have been traditionally trained to assess, handle and treat people with illnesses from a medical and physical perspective. However, taking care of patients’ and their families’ psychological needs have increasingly become more and more important. Psychological aspects of individuals have significant influences on people’s response to illnesses, recovery and rehabilitation, and should not be ignored. At Steps & Providence, we aim to provide healthcare services that promote health as well as holistic well-being of our patients.
Definition and Outcome
According to the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the overall aim of counselling is to provide an opportunity for the patient to work towards living in a more satisfying and resourceful way. The objectives of a particular counselling relationship vary according to the patient’s needs. Counselling may be concerned with developmental issues, addressing and resolving specific problems, making decisions, coping with crisis, developing personal insight and knowledge, working through feelings or inner conflict, or simply improving relationships with others. The counsellor’s role is to facilitate change in ways which respect the patient’s values, personal resources and capacity for self-determination.
As counselling is responsive to such needs, it has become a major provider of mental health services. Simply put, it is a help-service to persons in need; a quest for health and wholeness in spirit, mind and body.
The expected result of such care is a definite evidence of psychological healing and growth. Counselling leads to self-awareness and facilitates change by exploring new options.
How Does Counselling Help?
- A counsellor listens to you and helps you understand your experience and the emotions you are feeling.
- A counsellor finds ways to manage and understand your concerns.
- Seeing a counselor does not mean you are weak or mentally ill. Neither does it suggest something is wrong with you or that you are a failure. Rather, talking with a counselor is often a sign that you are willing to take care of yourself and find healthy ways to respond to challenging situations.
- Counselling helps you make decisions, build self-esteem and deal with stress, so that you are able to clarify and prioritize your needs and find ways to solve problems. When there are more serious issues, there may be a need for longer term counseling.
Methodologies Used in Counselling
Counsellors and therapists use a range of different approaches. Below are two examples:
- Psycho-therapy tries to help you understand your current feelings in the context of past events and experiences;
- Cognitive therapy sets out to help you feel better about yourself. You may not necessarily feel you have to find out what caused you to develop depression, but you want to use counselling or therapy to help you bear the pain of depression and emerge from it.
To find out what is best for you, talk to us.
Click here to read more about our partner, Benson Soh, Senior Counsellor.
