'I'm fine; there's nothing wrong with me.' This is the sort of thing you might hear from someone facing difficulties in the workplace coupled with difficulties at home. They are finding the stress too much to handle, yet they feel they need to be seen to be coping. It's a depressing scenario and one which more and more people are facing. They can't cope as well as they used to be able to and they really don't know what to do about it. On the other hand they don't want to appear weak and vulnerable or jeopardise their careers by appearing unable to cope.
Counselling can be a wonderful experience. It is often difficult to come to terms with our weaknesses and problems. Are you able to pour out and be open to the counsellor. It is essential that you trust your counsellor. Meet with him at least one meeting before committing to a series of sessions. You need to feel that your consellor is listening to you.
Counselling is essentially about having a formal setting to share your problems with someone who has been trained to be both sympathetic and analytical in their approach to dealing with personal problems. People who have been properly trained can be very good at spotting the underlying causes behind different problems, seeing things which we cannot - as we are embedded in the problem and so restricted in our view. You yourself will probably know if counselling would be beneficial for you. You can always try one or two meetings with a counsellor, and then decide if you need more. You may be depressed or you may be experiencing loneliness, and counselling could be beneficial. Combined with other methods, such as prayer for inner healing for example, counselling can be very effective.
The counsellor-counsellee relationship is a type of friendship. In strict terms, this perhaps should not be the case, as the relationship is a professional one. In practise, however, some sort of emotional bond is often formed between the two parties. Trust obviously needs to be present. Also, the gender of the counsellor and the counsellee needs to be the same. The reason for this is to avoid any possible sexual attraction distracting or endangering the process.
The hurtful actions and words of others may be at the root of some of your problems. Perhaps part of your suffering has been caused by the sin that others have done against you. Whatever the reason for your suffering, you are not alone. So many people suffer in different ways around the world. Feeling anger towards those who wrong us is normal, but do turn to God for help to forgive people.
Professional counselling can, and often does, make a tremendous difference in people's lives. Relationships can be restored, depression and anxiety overcome, self-esteem increased, spiritual growth experienced and so forth-lasting improvements in people's lives.
