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Do
you feel that…
Your own coping mechanisms have been stretched to
their limits?
Difficulties you are currently facing, you have not
dealt with at all before?
You and your partner seem to be fighting more and
talking less.
Difficulties you are facing strike an uncanny
resemblance to problems that always seem to come up in
your life.
Family/friends/colleagues/loved ones are concerned with
your mood/behaviors?
You feel that you would benefit from some parenting
skills in managing things at home.
You would like to learn skills to be come more
confident/assertive/less anxious or happier.
If you have answered yes to any of the above
questions, the perhaps you would like to see if
counseling could assist you.
More questions?
Click here.
Stepping Stones of Therapy
The process of what happens in therapy is easy to
understand. While dealing with emotional states, and
gaining insight into our behaviors may be more
complicated, it helps to know the steps that will be
taken, to assess at any given time, where you are in the
process.
1. What do you want? Four small words which can
present a very complex dilemma. After all, how can we be
happy until we clearly define what it is we are seeking?
People tend to know that they are unhappy, and while
caught up in the negative emotions of that distress,
they are not easily able to define the nature of their
needs. This takes a process of self discovery first.
2. What have you needed to do, in order to get
what you want out of this? This part of the therapeutic
work deals with coping skills, self esteem,
understanding your resources and exploring additional
options of which you may not be aware.
3. What has prevented you in the past from being
able to achieve what you needed? Hmmm…. This is where
your therapist can be of the most value to you. Learning
how our own thinking, feelings, and subsequent behaviors
can actually be what is preventing the results we seek
can be a great learning experience. It might mean going
back to look at life from the very beginning to assess
the information we were given about how to deal
effectively in our world. Stepping outside our lives,
and seeing what has happened to us, through the eyes of
another person, can really help to gain a totally new
perspective.
It can cause a lot of confusion, when we try to
understand ourselves, and it can be painful to recall
some of our past experiences. These periods of confusion
are normal in the process of change, but nevertheless
are difficult. It helps to have a “guide” to help keep
the momentum through this uncharted territory.
We tend to avoid emotional pain and usually take the
path of least resistance. With the aid of a therapist
the painful, negative, and avoided emotions are shared,
defined, explained and put in the healthiest context.
The therapist is also trained to help you understand
unconscious processes which come into play, affecting
your emotions behaviors, but are not readily apparent.
The more understanding you gain the more your sense of
control increases, until you take over as your own
guide. The process of emotional development leads to
changes which bring an increased sense of hope, self
esteem, and confidence to meet your goals in life. What
a wonderful exchange for the anxiety, depression, and
hopelessness people deal with daily. It can be hard, but
ultimately a very exciting adventure.
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