Counseling

What is Counseling?

Counseling is not an exact science; it is not like a visit to a medical doctor, but rather requires your active participation in identifying difficulties and then working through them, with your counselor, to achieve goals.

The purpose of coming to New Directions Counseling and Wellness for counseling may include:

• relieving distress
• decreasing symptoms of a mental or emotional condition
• improving one’s mood, self-esteem, or overall wellbeing
• working through trauma, grief or loss
• working to improve significant relationships
• finding a “neutral party” as a supportive and encouraging sounding board; or
• learning better coping skills for life’s challenges.
• And more…….

You and your therapist will explore the appropriate length and frequency of sessions so that counseling is of optimum benefit to you. Clients often begin counseling with one idea of what should be accomplished in therapy.  However, people often discover that regular consultation with an experienced counselor is helpful enough to continue as additional concerns are uncovered; or, they continue for further personal development.

 What to Expect?

Counseling can have benefits and risks associated with the process. Therapy often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, and significant reduction in feelings of distress. However, we cannot guarantee your specific results. Progress depends on many factors including motivation, effort, and how well you and your therapist work as a team. Additionally, therapy at times involves unpleasant feelings and addresses issues that may be challenging and demanding. The changes you make may impact your relationships, your functioning on the job or at home, and your understanding of yourself. Some of these changes may be temporarily upsetting. You are encouraged to share feelings about your progress in therapy with your counselor at any time. Together, you may “tweak” methods used in session. Perhaps a referral to a physician, nutritionist or participation in family therapy (among other options) may be made, if thought to be useful and effective additions to your counseling.

Psychological Assessments

Like a medical examination in which a physician evaluates a patient’s physical well-being by speaking with the patient and/or administering formal tests, a psychological assessment is a process through which a psychology professional evaluates a client’s psychological, emotional, and behavioral well-being through open dialogue and formal testing. The assessment process may involve one or both of the following:

1. A series of face-to-face interviews during which the psychology professional meets with the client (and sometimes his/her family members) to gain a rich understanding of the client’s emotions, behaviors, thoughts, coping strategies for dealing with life’s challenges, and personal strengths.

2. One or more standardized tests (both verbal and written) that the psychology professionals can use to gain more objective and data-driven insights regarding a client’s overall well-being.

With this information, the professional can provide an appropriate diagnosis (if one is warranted) and work with the client and his/her family to set goals and develop an appropriate plan for positive change.