5 Things Not to Expect from Counseling
Everyone comes to their first counseling session with a specific set of expectations. Understanding what NOT to expect from counseling will help you keep an opened mind and develop a more realistic understanding of the counseling process!
Don’t Expect a Quick Fix
In the age of instant gratification, everyone wants a quick fix! Counseling is typically a longer term commitment to lasting growth and change. Everyone enters into counseling with longstanding patterns of thinking, relating, or behaving that rarely can be changed by only attending a handful of appointments.
The Process Will Not Be Easy
Counseling is hard work, but it is worth it! You are committing to look at the hard and difficult places in your life, to sit with uncomfortable emotions, and develop new ways of thinking about and living your life. One of the beautiful things about counseling is that you are not alone in this process! Your counselor is there walking alongside you, supporting you, and guiding you as you work together towards healing and growth.
You Aren’t Friends With Your Counselor
The therapeutic relationship in counseling differs significantly from other relationships in your life. You will be sharing very personal and intimate details of your life and your counselor won’t share back, this can feel awkward and leave you feeling uneasy at first! But this is type of therapeutic relationship is an important and necessary aspect of a successful counseling experience. Your counselor put limits around when and how they share personal information with you in order to keep the focus of your sessions on you and your goals.
Your Counselor Won’t Tell You What to Do
Part of the growth and change that occurs when you enter into the counseling process is learning to tolerate life uncertainties, becoming more comfortable with ambiguity, being able to sit with your thoughts and emotions even when it is uncomfortable, reflecting on your choices and anticipating the possible consequences of your actions. In the long run, learning THIS is what decreases your anxiety, not receiving advice from your counselor! In the end, getting advice from your counselor is the not the solution to your problems... learning how to actually work through the big life decisions you are facing in a way that can be replicated in every area of your life, for the rest of your life, is!
You Will Be in Counseling for Forever
It is a surprise to many people, but one of the main goals of counseling is NOT to stay in counseling for forever! Each session is working towards learning the skills and knowledge you will need to function in your day to day life without the help of your counselor. We WANT to work ourselves out of a job!