It’s January, which can be a difficult month. In Canada, the weather is cold and uninviting. The holidays are over, and there isn’t much to look forward to until the Spring. If you’re like many others, the short days and cold weather may impact your mood.
You may be more anxious, or less happy.
You may be relieved by the end of the holiday season, or you may finding the lack of January events rather depressing.
You may be considering seeing a Registered Clinical Counsellor for support.
When you think of booking a session with a Registered Clinical Counsellor, what do you envision? There are a lot of myths and misguided beliefs about counselling, therapy, and psychology in general. Myths like “Talking to a counsellor is the same thing as talking to a friend”; or “If you see a counsellor that means you’re crazy, or mentally unstable.” These myths misrepresent the experience of seeing a counsellor, and create a barrier for accessing mental health support.
In the next few posts, I’ll be debunking those myths, and create a clearer understanding of what therapy with a Registered Clinical Counsellor is like. Let’s remove the barriers, and get people the support they need!
The Counsellor’s Role: What does a Registered Clinical Counsellor do?
There are a lot of myths about what Registered Clinical Counsellors do, and these myths typically do not convey an understanding of the role. Registered Clinical Counsellors have a diverse role:
- Provide emotional support as clients navigate difficult experiences
- Help clients identify and change unhealthy behaviour patterns
- Teach clients skills that improve overall mental health, such as emotion regulation skills, communication skills, and mindfulness skills
- Teach clients to emotionally protect themselves
- Help clients heal from various forms of trauma
Each client is unique, and it is the counsellor’s job to modify the therapy to suit the needs of the individual.
Myth: Counsellors are a paid friend.
Many people believe that seeing a Registered Clinical Counsellor is the same thing as talking to a friend, and that people who see therapists are those who don’t have friends to confide in.
In truth, the role of the Registered Clinical Counsellor is significantly different than the role of a friend. Counsellors should be an unbiased and nonjudgmental person with training in mental health support. Registered Clinical Counsellors must have a master’s degree in counselling psychology or a related field, and they must only provide services within their level of competency.
A friend provides emotional support, but lacks the education and expertise in mental health. Friends share their personal experiences with you, and expect your relationship to be mutually supportive. In contrast, it would be highly unprofessional for a Registered Clinical Counsellor to lean on a client for emotional support.
Myth: My friends can be unbiased
The concept of bias comes up frequently when we describe Registered Clinical Counsellors. You may think that your friends can be unbiased, and if you have emotionally mature friends, then it is likely that they can be somewhat unbiased. The problem is that no one who is involved in your life can be truly unbiased, because your choices will impact them. In contrast, your choices, thoughts, and experiences have very little effect on the counsellor’s life, which is why the counsellor can remain unbiased.
When you tell a friend or a family member that you feel anxious, how often do they respond by telling you the reasons not to feel anxious? While these loved ones are well-intentioned, their response shows bias. They want you to feel better, so they will tell you why you shouldn’t feel the way that you do.
When you tell a Registered Clinical Counsellor that you feel anxious, the response will be much different. The counsellor will likely ask you about the circumstances surrounding the anxiety, and you will have opportunity to talk about how the anxious feelings impact your life. The counsellor will never say “Don’t feel that way,” even if the ultimate goal is to reduce anxiety. Instead, the counsellor will provide a warm, supportive environment for you to explore the anxious feelings.
Part of exploring anxious feelings includes trying new skills to help reduce the anxiety. It can be difficult to try to new skills, and an unbiased person (i.e. a counsellor) understands that it takes time to create change. Friends and family can be wonderful for support, while a Registered Clinical Counsellor can provide unbiased validation alongside valuable information about mental health and skills.
Myth: Counsellors are there to tell me how to fix my problems.
While counsellors have training to guide you toward new practices that will help improve your mental health, they are not there to fix your problems. At the end of the day, a counsellor cannot force you to do anything. It is the client’s responsibility to make the changes that will “fix” the problems.
The role of the Registered Clinical Counsellor is to provide empathy, validation, and compassion, while also teaching skills and providing psychoeducation about mental health, nervous system responses, relationship patterns, and family systems. Providing this service empowers the client to make informed choices about how they would like to change their life.
Myth: Counsellors will judge me for taking medication or not taking medication.
You may believe that all counsellors think that people should take anti-depressants, or anti-anxiety medication, and that if you don’t want to take those medications then the counsellor will push you to do so.
Alternatively, you may be taking medication for your mental health, and worry that a counsellor will tell you to stop, citing the belief that you can manage mental health symptoms with only therapy.
The bottom line is that it is not the role of a Registered Clinical Counsellor to express their opinions about your medication choices. A counsellor’s role is to support the client while the client makes choices that fit within their own personal values.
Conclusion
Myths and misconceptions about what it is like to see a Registered Clinical Counsellor are damaging. They inspire fear, and create a barrier so that people who genuinely would benefit from professional mental health support do not access it.
You do not have to wait until you are in crisis to seek support. Seeing a counsellor does not mean that you are weak, “crazy,” or that you need to be “fixed.” Seeing a counsellor simply means that you would like emotional support, and to learn about how to best care for your own mental health. How wonderful is it to empower yourself?
You can see a counsellor in-person or virtually through video calling software. Seeing a counsellor can be a very rewarding experience.
If you are interested in seeing a counsellor, I encourage you to check out our “Team” page to learn more about the True Peace Counselling team. Book a free consultation, and start your journey to empowerment.
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