Individual Counseling / Therapy is a Workout for the Mind
Counseling
Just as working with a personal trainer leads to better results at the gym, working with a therapist leads to better results in life.A personal trainer works with you to strengthen muscle groups, tone the body, and build stamina. Likewise, a therapist or counselor works with you to strengthen your mind, tone thoughts and actions, and build confidence.
Here are five reasons you should consider personal counseling / therapy:
1. A therapist can help you build a roadmap to where you want to go.
Through personal and confidential sessions, a therapist is well-positioned to learn about you and then comment on your individual patterns of behavior and thought, actions and reactions, and how historical life events may be connected to current issues. Counselors and therapists have the ability to give you a higher level of understanding of yourself and interactions with others.
2. A therapist is objective.
Therapists provide a safe, comfortable atmosphere for you to address issues or concerns. A therapist’s relationship with their client is unencumbered. Looking into your life, through your stories and descriptions, enables the therapist to offer unbiased observations. Therapists don’t have to try to be on good terms with anyone in your life. They do not benefit by telling you what you’d like to hear. Therapists benefit, as do you, through the interaction where you begin to change, grow, and even heal.
3. A therapist will encourage you to push your limits.
When the work gets tough, and all you’d like to do is take a break and stop forward progress, a therapist will help remind you of the work you have accomplished. A therapist will help frame the decision to stay put or keep going. Assuming you had established clear goals for your work at the beginning of therapy, your therapist can help evaluate if you have achieved your goals or if you might still have more work.
4. A therapist will help you create a healthy system of accountability.
If you are struggling with accomplishing your goals, a therapist will help you process the feelings around setting goals for yourself and not following through. Recognizing change is difficult, a therapist knows that creating or maintaining individual relationships or attending support groups will help you stay focused and motivated. A therapist might initially offer accountability for a client, but will normally begin helping you identify key relationships or group opportunities so you can maintain your progress even after ending therapy.
5. Therapists and therapy evolve.
So you began therapy wanting to learn techniques to deal with your specific problem, stress. What started with a couple sessions to alleviate anxiety, suddenly evolves into you processing stories from early childhood and working on trust issues. Counseling and therapy can adapt to meet your needs and your original concern might not be the most pressing issue. Well, the good thing is that therapy and therapists are not on a hardwired, one-track course.
Just like personal trainer, a therapist is there to give you motivation and support as well as insight. Of course, your commitment and dedication matter, too, but isn’t it nice to know that you’re not alone - you’ve got someone by your side. And that person won’t ask you to do burpees or pullups!
Jeff Grossman offers individual adult counseling sessions in Brentwood, TN. and serves the greater Nashville area. He helps clients looking to strengthen their resolve and build confidence. Call Jeff to talk about counseling.