Mental health deals with our thinking, feeling, and behavior. Mental health
counseling is focused on people who have issues that are impeding their quality of
life. It is a way of trying to help people to get the most out of their lives, to help
them to be the best person they can be, to make them feel good about themselves
and helping them to be self-contented about who they are and what they can do.
Mental health counselors are the clinically oriented person who works to elevate the
psychological well-being of the individual.
Mental Health is extremely important throughout a person’s life.
Mental Health problems can cause various losses as follows:
The loss to the population and to the nation amounts to approximately two
billion dollars.
There is loss with regards to relations, community, friends.
Symptoms of Mental Health issues one needs to be aware of:
- Loss of appetite
- Lack of sleep
- Loss of drive or will to do things
- Feeling sad
- Having anxiety
- Mood swings
- Having certain thoughts which are persistent
- Having beliefs that are illogical
- Self-harming thoughts of harming others
In Mental Health Counseling, the people are taught certain coping skills and to
help them become better at dealing with stress. These are facilitated by sessions
conducted by experts as clinical psychologists and counselors or psychotherapists.
It is the most effective way to treat depression and anxiety, without
chemicals/drugs/medications which can have a lot of side effects as well.
The best therapy which has proved effective in counseling for depression and
anxiety is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). These are counseling
sessions or expertise talk sessions with psychotherapists. Apart from this, the other
ways to treat depression are:’
Interpersonal therapy
Psycho-dynamic therapy
Counseling for anxiety is most effective in treating all forms of anxiety disorders.
There are six common types of anxiety disorders:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Social anxiety
- Specific phobias
- Panic disorder
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
The CBT form of counseling has proved to be most effective in treating all these
common forms of anxiety disorders.
There are different types of talk therapies or Mental Health Counseling ways
which has been proved to be effective in case of anxiety and depression:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Dialectic Behavioral Therapy
- Psychodynamic therapies
- Humanistic therapies
- Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Solution-focused brief therapy
The most important aspect of Mental Health Counseling is to find the right
therapist. The right therapist would be a caring and supportive partner.
Ways to find the right therapist:
Consult your family, friends, and well-wisher. You may also consult your
primary care doctor for initial reference.
National mental health organizations can also help with referral lists of
licensed credential providers.
If cost is an issue one may check out the nearby senior centers, religious
organizations, and also community mental health clinics. Such places often
offer therapy on a sliding scale for payment.
In case of Mental Health issues, I would try to:
- Stay positive
- Connect with others
- Get enough sleep
- Avoid addictions
- Deal with the stress with good coping styles
Still if unable to manage, then I would prefer to seek professional help from
therapist near me for depression.
Mental Health Counseling benefits and even save lives.
The various benefits of it are as follows:
- Personal empowerment
- Hope
- The overcoming of demoralization cause of social stigma
- Acceptance of life
- Personal insight
- Life skills
- Wellness
- Prevention of future medical health distress
Therefore, Mental Health Counseling is a formal, purposeful partnership between
a client and mental health professional. It is also referred to as clinical mental
health counseling as it is based on sound research and uses techniques proven to be
effective. It works as both professionals and clients explore the problems and
develop the skills and mindset needed to transcend challenges and live a life of
emotional health. Counseling works in dealing with mental illness as well as
specific life stresses. Counseling sessions can be an individual, couple, or group.
