The Counseling Process
What Is Counseling?
Counseling isn't about "fixing". It's about stepping into a place of curiosity from which to explore your life experience and better understand how that experience has shaped both you and your relationships. Counseling provides an opportunity to work with someone dedicated to supporting you in the exploration of who you are, how you interact with the world, and whether or not you'd like to make changes. A counselor is there to point out new doorways and potential paths of exploration for growth and change that you may not have considered or had access to on your own.
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As we begin to understand our stories and acquire new skills, we become more resilient to challenges, more connected to others and more empowered to move through life's difficulties as we change and grow.
How Do We Make Changes?
There are many theories on how we change and grow. One thing we know for sure is that as human beings, we have complex thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Many of us have spent a lot of time and energy placing an emphasis on our thoughts and behaviors in an effort to make changes and improve our life experience. While this approach can be empowering, it often lacks staying power for change and can lead to blaming oneself for not being able to make sustainable change.
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New research is pointing towards the importance of learning how to identify, understand and process our feelings in order to change and grow in meaningful and sustainable ways. This work can take time, it can be difficult and is most certainly not linear. It can also be exciting, awe inspiring and lead to a more satisfying, connected life.