Our society perceives counseling, and those who receive it, in a negative and inaccurate light. Some view it as something only for people who’ve experienced tragedy or unspeakable hardships, the mentally ill or for people who are “too weak” to handle the difficulties of everyday life. It’s sometimes portrayed as a frivolous pastime for those with too much money and time on their hands. These ideas are harmful and couldn’t be farther from the truth. In reality, MOST people could benefit from counseling in some way or another.

Much of our negative ideas and misconceptions about this topic stem from a lack of understanding of what counseling is. Although there are many differing forms and modalities of therapy-the basic purpose is to help people cope effectively with life. Some people do need help coping because of mental illness or past trauma-but the vast majority of us just have unhelpful and ineffective ways of coping when aspects of life become overwhelming. Most of these ineffective ways of coping have been passed down for generations. A perfect example is my family’s love of sweets when we’re sad. You can always tell when one of us is having a hard time by the amount of ice cream in the freezer!

Aside from learning how to cope in a healthy way, therapy can also help us through the various phases we go through in life. Transitions such as moving away from home for the first time, long term relationships, losing a parent-things most of us will experience at some point in our lives. These time periods can be anxiety producing and confusing. We may talk to our friends or family, but they’re usually involved in the transition as well, making it difficult for them to be there for us in a neutral, unbiased way.

And sometimes we just need someone to listen. Loved ones so often want to help when we’re struggling so they offer advice or their opinion-which can be helpful at times. However, there are some things that we just need someone to sit and listen to without judgment. A person who isn’t going to try to “fix it”- but instead, allow us to take our time and make sense of our thoughts. Someone who will guide us in a healthy direction so we can fix it ourselves. That’s what counseling can be as well. I believe that the human brain is not designed to solve it’s own problems. That we have to put a voice to our thoughts-say them out loud if we’re to make sense of them. Counseling helps us do exactly that.

So, who needs counseling? Anyone who happens to have thoughts or feelings. If you believe you could use some help sorting out how you feel or would like some new ways to cope more effectively when life gets difficult one of our licensed professional counselors can help. Please call Life Enhancement Counseling Services today at 407-443-8862 to make an appointment with one of our experienced Orlando psychotherapists.