The primary goal of counseling is change toward well-being.
Individual counseling helps you identify the change that is needed in
your life, helps you find the path to change, and supports
you in making the changes you need.
Areas in which individual counseling can be very successful
include:
- Depression, anxiety, low-self-esteem, lack of confidence
The
causes of these conditions are highly individual. Sometimes they
come from within, as when we have internalized unrealistic
expectations, hurtful messages from the past, or distorted
perceptions. Sometimes they are external, a sign that more effective
methods are needed for dealing with stress or dysfunction around us. Whatever the
origins, multiple scientific studies have shown that "talk therapy"
can create the same observable changes in biological brain function
as medication.
- Indecision, perfectionism, procrastination
Counseling
follows multiple tracks for these conditions, rooting out their
hidden causes while teaching here-and-now behaviors
to cut them short. You can overcome those seemingly
unconquerable tasks, whether finishing a dissertation, filing
past-due taxes, or just cleaning out the garage. Counseling gets
results.
- Social isolation and loneliness
Human beings are a social species. Meaningful social relationships with
those around us are essential to our good health. Counseling for
social isolation and loneliness often deals with a combination of
negative self-perceptions and the practicing of social skills that
help "break out" of the bubble that can seem to cut you off
from other people.
- Recovery from death of a loved one
The fact that grief is a natural part of life does not make it
an easy thing to bear alone. The rush of modern life, the demands
of work, the expectations of our entertainment-centric culture... These
things rob us of some of the rituals and the emotional time and space
our ancestors applied to mourning. Grief counseling makes it easier
to move through the phase of letting go and into the phase of fond
remembrance.
- Recovery from divorce or breakup
Divorce can be as distressing as a death in the family, and sometimes
more so. There is a loss of companionship, loss of intimacy, and loss
of the hope we once invested in a relationship. The one person to whom
we may have been most likely to turn for support in such a time is
the one who is no longer available. To make things worse, the
divorce itself may have brought out the worst in our ex-partners or
ourselves, damaging our ability to think and feel clearly. Divorce
counseling provides a time and a place for proper healing. It
helps ensure that you recover your dignity, your self-respect,
and your balance, so that new attachments won't be
tainted with baggage from the old.
- Self-doubt, low self-esteem, lack of identity
There can be many reasons for a low self-image or an unclear sense
of personal identity. It may be the result of one critical moment that
we magnify and replay for the rest of our lives. It may be the result of
a distorted perception or unprocessed hurt from the past. Or sometimes
our whole development as a person was put on hold to satisfy
the excessive needs of an immature parent. Personal therapy can get to
the root of problems like these and build confidence and direction.
- Problems from the past which won't go away
Trauma and abuse are unfortunately common in modern life. For some
of us they seem to wash over like water, while others suffer lasting
pain. Often those around us don't understand why we can't let go.
Counseling can heal past trauma. It provides a safe and supportive
environment where you can unlock the hurt, deal with it at the speed
that's right for you, and let it out of your life. We can't change
our past, but we can break its power on the present. It doesn't have
to be relived forever.
Individual counseling combines techniques from the fields of human
development, coaching, psychology, and traditional psychotherapy to heal
past wounds and promote present growth. It's a practical and effective
way to create change in your life.
