What Is Counseling?
By Mary-Michael Levitt, Ed.S., LPC, LMFT

So often clients are faced with an unexpected crisis or emergency and are left to fend for themselves, until someone recommends that counseling is available to help them through their immediate situation. The question arises "How can counseling help me now?" "What can counseling do that I can't do for myself?"

Fist lets examine what might bring a person to consider counseling. Any life situation such as the loss of a loved one, a child in trouble at school, a marital affair or domestic abuse, loss of employment/ financial distress, a family member abusing alcohol or drugs or suffering from an eating disorder, separation/divorce, parenting stress or any situation that results in overwhelming feelings of depression or anxiety. Counseling is recommended when a person is not able to feel the joy of their life, take care of themselves emotionally and spiritually, or cope with the crisis or emergency without support. Clients may need assistance making the transition to college, learn more about maintaining healthy relationships, make career choices or learn more about stress management.

The process of counseling begins when the counselor cultivates a relationship with the client based on trust and confidentiality. In this secure environment the counselor and client develop an understanding of the stressful issues facing the client, explore and determine strategies designed to help the client and cooperatively engage in a dialogue that will restore confidence to the client in managing the issues at hand. Counseling helps people who are experiencing difficulties in life that cannot be remedied with out the caring support and professional guidance in problem solving that the counselor can provide. Clients who find themselves in need of counseling can be in a vulnerable state and need to be reassured that their situation can be improved by discussing a host of possible solutions and engaging in a plan of action. Counseling is successful when the client is no longer confused about what to do and is restored to a foundation where their life is meaningful and the presenting problem is now manageable.