It is understandable people already have a preconceived notion in their minds about therapy and counselling. Many of these ideas have come about thanks to television and movies. To help you get a better idea about how therapy and counselling actually work, let’s explore some of the more common myths.
1. Therapy and Counselling Will Fix You
To start with, you are not broken so there is essentially nothing to fix. However, you may have certain psychological and emotional concerns and issues you are not currently able to manage. The purpose of counselling is to help you explore your concerns and issues while at the same develop coping mechanisms to help better managing whatever life brings your way
2. You Always Lie Down on a Couch During Sessions
This myth was started thanks to several different TV shows and movies. Most people assume in order to relax and discuss their concerns, they must first lie down on a couch. While some counsellors do have a couch in their offices, they will not instruct or insist you lie down. Rather, it is there so if you want to lie down to feel more at ease you can.
3. Counsellors Just Listen and Take Notes
This is another myth that was fueled by TV shows and movies where the person would lie on the couch and do all the talking. The counsellor would make notes and ask a few questions. However, that is not the case.
Counsellors engage in interactive therapy processes to help build a relationship with their patients. During the first few sessions, it is not uncommon for the counsellor to speak less and ask many questions. They are doing this to learn more about the patient, their current concerns and what they expect out of therapy. As sessions progress, counsellors with talk more.
4. Counsellors Will Tell You What You Need To Do
Counsellors help guide people to realize what solutions are best for their own circumstances. Yet, they will never directly come out and tell you what you need to do.
Counsellors cannot make their patients do anything, nor do they want to force their patients to do so if it is something they may not currently be comfortable doing. Rather, it is up to patients to take what they have learned during sessions and apply it to their current situations.
5. Therapy and Counselling Focus Specifically on Your Childhood
Therapy and counselling are about discussing what concerns and issues you have. This can range from current life situations, like going through a divorce or starting a new job to addressing concerns about sexuality and intimacy. The only time childhood will come up is if it is relevant to your particular situation.
Hopefully, you can now see the difference between these myths about therapy and counselling and what you should actually expect. To schedule an initial counselling session to talk about your concerns, please feel free to call me, Ellen Starr at 416-488-3102 today!
