Does relationship counselling work? How about individual therapy for anxiety and depression. Associated Counsellors & Psychologists Sydney, a leading service provider, answers your questions about counselling therapy.
A common question asked by people is: ‘Does counselling really work?’ You could be considering getting some help with a relationship, with anxiety or stress, or maybe low mood or depression. Whatever the reasons causing your concern, there’s good news: clinical counselling has proven to clearly help those with complaints like anxiety and depression. And importantly also, relationship counselling for marriage or couple issues is also a validated treatment for assisting couples to improve the quality of their relationship.
Counselling: How does it work?
There are many different treatments that counsellors are able to employ to help you. The chosen mode will depend on the counsellors training and their judgement of your difficulty. Treatment for anxiety and depression can include cognitive behavioural therapy. This treatment works considering behaviours and thoughts that currently increase your level of anxiety or depression, and help you to overcome this patterned response. For instance, those who suffer anxiety could be telling themselves things like: ‘I can’t make it’, or ‘I’ll be terribly embarrassed if people see how nervous I am’. Such beliefs are identified together with your therapist, and new, more accurate self-representations are then used to challenge these beliefs. With ongoing practice and some skills training such as relaxation, positive results are experienced by most people.
Can relationship counselling really help my marriage?
It’s important to realise that relationships are fluid -they go through phases, from the initial honeymoon stage to a maturing of the relationships. For many couples, as a relationship matures, so do personal demands and responsibility, be it in the form of increased work pressure or children coming into the family, etc. As these pressures increase, the partners in the relationship may no longer be able to accommodate the other’s emotional needs, and conflict can develop – often into frequent and recurring arguments. Relationship counselling helps each partner to learn to calm their own distress, and at the same time learn to identify and bring out into the open the unspoken needs that are not satisfactory. Partners are able to begin to negotiate what they can do for each other and which demands may need to go unmet. A new, more realistic life plan is recognised and can be worked with.
What issues can our psychologists help with?
Therapists and psychologists are familiar with helping through a wide range of issues including anxiety or stress, depression or sadness, marriage and couple issues, grief and bereavement, addictions, anger management, eating disorders and many other complaints of modern living.
How should I choose a counsellor or psychologist?
Get in touch with a registered counsellor or psychologist for a start to a better life. Licenced mental health professionals are able to help you to overcome your emotional challenges. Depending on the country you are in you can find assistance from the professional body that registers psychologists or counsellors in your state. In Australia, Associated Counsellors & Psychologists Sydney can connect you with a registered therapist near you.
Associated Counsellors & Psychologists Sydney – counselling services including, cognitive behaviour therapy, general counselling, psychology and marriage counselling. Call (02)8205 0566 or visit 418/185 Elizabeth Street, Sydney 2000.