“The Privilege of a Lifetime is to become who you really are”

Carl Jung

The terms ‘Counseling’ and ‘Psychotherapy’ are often used interchangeably, however, both are very much different and each deal with different issues of mental health. 

Counseling deals with immediate and practical issues of day to day life. It helps clients process immediate stress and anxiety usually brought on by some interpersonal conflict or environmental change. 

Counseling can also be provided for confidence building, emotional and social management, work life balance and resolving interpersonal and marital issues. Counseling deals with individuals who are fit enough to think rationally.

Psychotherapy on the other hand, is much more rigorous and in-depth than counseling. Psychotherapy deals with individuals who have mental disorders such as depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, trauma and stress related disorders, schizophrenia and various personality disorders. 

Psychotherapy helps clients develop insight into deeper and pervasive causes of their problems. It helps clients examine and deal with their long standing dysfunctional thoughts, emotions, beliefs, attitudes and behavior which have contributed to their inability to function normally in society and helps them change their unhelpful and dysfunctional perspective towards self, others and world. 

Psychotherapy also helps clients uncover and manage their powerful negative emotions. Essentially, psychotherapy helps clients develop greater self awareness so that they are better equipped to deal with their unconscious impulses, emotions and thoughts. 

What should clients expect from therapy and what they should not expect from therapy.

WHAT NOT TO EXPECT

Judgement from therapist

It is important to remember that a counselor or therapist is a trained professional and they are there to help you in every possible way they can. A therapist won’t judge you or belittle you. Nothing is off limits and you can discuss anything you wish with your therapist without any fear of judgement.

 

Advise

Therapy is a sound collaboration between client and therapist. Together they decide what to work on each session, how often they should meet and what the client can do in between sessions for therapy homework. Both are equally active in suggesting directions for therapy sessions. Moreover, a therapist gives the client room to access their own wisdom. The therapist supports the client while they figure out what they want to do. They remain present with clients while they process and face their fearful emotions. Therapists recognize that the client is the expert of his/her own life and they won’t pretend to act otherwise. 

Immediate solution of a problem

Therapy is a long and active process. It takes time, patience and compassion to face and change long held dysfunctional thoughts, beliefs, behaviour and buried emotions.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Anxiety

It is normal to experience some anxiety when you first visit a therapist, which is a very natural reaction, after all, you are going to share very intimate details about yourself to a complete stranger. You will be able to share your problems freely once you establish a trusting relationship with your therapist.

Confidentiality

Therapists are ethically and legally responsible to honor confidentiality, which means whatever you share with your therapist during the session will remain confidential. The therapist cannot share anything you say with anyone without your consent.

Unexpected Emotions

Therapy may bring many buried emotions to the surface and they can be shocking to some people. However, they are a very natural part of the therapy process.

It gets worse before it gets better

The experience of facing the root cause of your problems, your imperfections and raw emotions can be unnerving and painful. In therapy, things will always get painful before they get better.

WHEN TO APPROACH US

Contact us, if you notice any of the following behaviors or patterns
  • You feel irritated most of the time
  • You are not happy with your current life
  • You want to change your life but don’t know where to start from
  • You have been avoiding people
  • You don’t enjoy meeting your friends
  • You eat regularly but don’t enjoy your food
  • You have disturbed sleep patterns
  • You feel exhausted and tired most of the times.
  • You find everything uninteresting.
  • You want to scream
  • Your dreams have some familiar but disturbing content
  • You have been having arguments very often with others
  • Your near and dear ones feel that you are going crazy
  • You have excessive thoughts and all of them appear different from each other

Internships

Students graduating or post-graduating in Psychology can apply for internships at anahata. For details, call us at our number.

Short-term Learning Programs

COUNSELLING SKILLS IN PRACTICE

Anahata offers a 45 hours program on “Counselling Skills in Practice” from October 11, 2021.

Do you wonder about how to implement Psychotherapy techniques in real life?

Do you struggle with the question about which technique is best for you as a therapist?

What are the subtle signs of problems in an individual?

How do you know as a therapist that you are on the right path?

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