Why you should participate in counselling before a crisis
Counselling often comes up as a course of treatment when someone has suffered a traumatic experience, is dealing with the loss of a loved one, or is dealing with a difficult relationship.
While extremely different scenarios, what’s common is the experience or circumstance has already happened. You’re already in a state of distress and are now taking steps to find your footing and move forward.
What happens when you haven’t been to the dentist in years? We are far from dental experts, but there’s a good possibility you’ll have a collection of cavities and require multiple rounds of treatment to get your teeth back in good shape. Root canal, anyone? So instead, we go to the dentist regularly, once or twice a year. We brush our teeth and floss (sometimes), and try to avoid too much sugary food that can damage our enamel.
Going to the dentist is part of preventative health and wellness. It’s also why we go to the doctor for regular checkups or have our eyes examined. By staying on top of our personal health and wellness, we can prevent and stay on top of any bumps in the road.
So why is it so different for counselling?
Counselling is a vital tool in preventative mental health and wellness for everyone. It’s an opportunity to sit down and have a candid conversation with someone who can give you guidance and techniques to deal with challenging dynamics or issues.
Our challenge to you for 2022 is to consider counselling as part of your regular wellness routine, even as a once-a-month checkin.
To help, we’ve put together our top three reasons why you should consider counselling before a crisis.
A safe space to be yourself. Not everyone has a confidant or a trusted person they can talk to. A counsellor provides you with a safe space to be yourself, to contemplate thoughts out loud and know that nothing will be held against you.
Build resilience. Resilience is strength and by learning techniques and ways to deal with stress and anxiety and other challenges, you are more equipped to handle some of the bigger bumps in the road.
An increased sense of awareness. Half of the battle is being able to anticipate challenges before they hit and find ways to pivot and maneuver to lessen the impact. Counsellors can help you understand not only what pushes your buttons, but also early-warning signs so you can take steps to prevent a more difficult situation.
Many companies have benefit programs that include counselling. If yours doesn’t, reach out and let us explore ways we can help you through our pro-bono program.