WHEN IS IT NECESSARY TO SEE A COUNSELLOR / PSYCHOLOGIST?
- Many people have a slight misconception when it comes to counsellors and therapists.
- Movies can often create the false impression that a psychologist is simply acting passively during sessions. As the joke goes: “Psychology is just a thousand different ways of saying yes, yes?”
- A very influential psychologist once remarked that therapy works when you bring the right psychologist and the right client together at the right time.
- So, when is the right time to see a therapist?
- Often you may feel depressed and helpless, as if there is no light at the end of the tunnel. It feels as if no one understands. This is a good time to enlist the help of a therapist or counsellor.
- When you feel anxious or experience feelings or panic, even to the extent that you experience panic attacks, it is the soul and the body flashing a red warning light to say: “Help me”.
- It often happens that certain triggers start to appear in your relationship with your loved one or loved ones. Conflict or frustration may surface when you feel you are no longer understood, or you are beginning to misunderstand each other. It is a feeling of: “things are no longer the same between us”. It can manifest through feelings of rejection, anger, jealousy or simply a feeling of “I just don’t feel anything anymore”. This not only applies to relationships with loved ones, but also to friendships, work relationships or simply in your daily contact with people.
- Sometimes the tension, anxiety and feelings of depression are so severe that people resort to alcohol, or an excess of medication, some eat too much, others stop eating. Sleep patterns are disturbed; either a person can no longer sleep or sleeps constantly. All these symptoms are the mind and body asking for help.
- Signs of seeking help are when your children suddenly start experiencing symptoms such as sudden tantrums, no longer obeying the house and school rules, or simply start to withdraw or become rebellious. It can also occur in a sudden change in their school or academic performance. A toxic love affair or friendship in which your child is suddenly emotionally afflicted can bring about a drastic change in behaviour. Hormonal changes in your child’s growth process can lead to behavioural changes and emotional instability, which can include various clashes with figures of authority.
- Sometimes you simply just don’t know what is happening within yourself. You suddenly feel dissatisfied. As if life has lost its meaning. As if you are wandering aimlessly within yourself. My soul wants to grow but do not know how to or where to.
- Other people often cannot express emotional situations sufficiently. It is as if I simply cannot assert myself. I struggle with making decisions.
- Then there are people who are trapped in a toxic relationship in which they are being manipulated. It often leaves you with a feeling of “I don’t know who I am”. I am used and abused, often even emotionally, sexually, and physically abused, and harassed.
- Traumatic events are often a source of serious challenges to which we are exposed. The death of a loved one, experiences from your childhood that have left serious scars. A hijacking, assault, or traumatic event which you saw happen or experienced keeps gnawing at you, and you cannot process it.
- Many people simply feel unhappy and have no idea why. You need to talk about this and explore it.
- The right counsellor and/or therapist can help you by supporting, encouraging, and advising you, thus empowering you to take a different perspective regarding your challenges. Different psychologists work within different frameworks, and you have the right to decide whether you resonate with this person and whether you are receiving the help to be able to influence and solve your challenges in a positive way.
A Thought: You can learn more from your failures than from your successes. Don’t let anything stop you. Failure builds character.