Problems drive humans to find better options. Some problems can be sorted out by adopting better ways to do things and some cannot be sorted out anyway. Most of the issues we see in people these days are due to frustration which can be sorted out by talking or takings things easy.
Counselling is an effective way to understand why someone is behaving erratically and making them understand what is wrong in the way they behave. This is an effective way to deal with stress and lead a normal life. To some extent, the main cause of stress these days are high competition and unrealistic expectations.
While we can do very little to deal with high competition, which has become a way of life, the right type of counselling can help deal with unrealistic expectations of self and others.
Counselling was never heard of earlier. Why do we need it now?
In the earlier days, people used to live in a joint family or used to mingle with more people. They had siblings, cousins, uncles and aunts, grandparents, neighbours and friends to talk to. Parents also used to spend more time with the children, though there was a bigger generation gap back then.
The race to succeed and conquer the world was not as fierce back then. These days parents are too engrossed in their career or working to make ends meet. Children have lost the need for friends instead they are happy with the gadgets and keep themselves aloof to the world outside.
High competition at work creates more rivals than friends at offices. Moreover, a good part of the world has become quite mean that we have to be really careful choosing our friends. But the human need to be heard, to be spoken to and to be guided remain the same.
While some people find solace in their partners or friends, a good part of the working population find solace in professional counsellors which are in a way a better option.
How far can professional counselling help deal emotional issues?
While there is a social stigma attached to getting external help to deal with one’s emotions, it can help you keep away from a lot of problems in your personal and professional life. Professional counsellors have learnt the scientific and most effective ways to help you deal with stress and emotional distress.
They are people not known to you personally and hence will not judge you for whatever you are. You can forget about the society’s reaction to getting professional help, after all, they are also a reason for it.
It is ultimately your personal and professional life at stake and if a little professional counselling can help, it will be like getting a first aid for your life. They are experienced people and can come up with effective ideas to deal with stress and emotional trauma in a better way for each person they deal with.
Professional and positive counselling can help heal a distressed mind to settle down and think positively. It can drive you to understand and accept various situations and can guide you to become a calmer and more confident person.
Online Counselling, Does it really work?
As with every product and service that goes online, counselling services are also available online these days. It was inevitable as people are used to finding better solutions through the Internet and spend more time working in the system than with people.
Online counselling works best with people who are more convenient with staying anonymous yet seeking professional help. It works with people who are good at expressing themselves textually from than verbally.
With online counsellors who provide professional services by chats, over a call or through emails, they are reaching out to more people who need them. It helps a lot of people who fear the social stigma attached to seeking professional counselling to help themselves or their dear ones from mental agony.
It helps people who are restrained from going out of the house and seeking advice. It helps people who cannot reach out to the right professional who can help them.
Online counselling can help people in many ways that a normal face-to-face counselling does not. Though it has many disadvantages too, online counselling can, at least, be a good option to start with getting professional help, especially when there’s no other better choice. Some of the major turn-ons and turn-offs with online counselling are:
Turn-ons:
- Easy accessibility to professional services
- More options to convey themselves better – chat, phone, mail, even video conferencing
- Anonymity as the person who is seeking counselling need not furnish the actual name and personal details which make him / her public
- More affordable than conventional systems
- Can reach out to the right person who may be physically difficult to access
Turn-offs:
- This is not the right way for people who are not good with their ability to text what they think
- Confidentiality can be compromised by the counsellor or hackers as all your details are available online.
- The credentials of the counsellor cannot be verified. We have no idea who is on the other end advising you. As long as it is a trained professional you are saved. But if you are seeking advice from an imposter, it can screw your life.
- Sometimes medication will be required to treat the person affected and this cannot be done online.
- A reliable Internet connection is required for getting online counselling.
- The counsellor and the patient cannot take advantage of feeling each other’s presence which can make a big difference to the treatment. The humane tough is lost to a great extent in online counselling.
Provided you can verify the credentials of the counsellor and confirm the confidentiality they offer, online counselling can help more people in better ways.
In fact, you can choose an online counsellor who is a member of the American Counselling Association as they confirm the membership only after verifying the credentials of the counsellors.
The online counsellors break the barriers of accessibility and use technology to reach out to the less privileged people who can benefit the most with professional help.