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How the Counseling Process Works

Self-understanding and self-awareness combined with behavioral change or, "doing things differently than before," is what behavioral health counseling is about. Counseling helps people increase self-understanding, expand self-awareness, develop the ability to communicate with clarity and then do things differently.

I have done much work with adults navigating difficulties, families and teenagers in trouble, issues related to personal identity and family communications, employment, military life, as well as other areas of concern. While counseling is often about learning successful emotional regulation, a variety of terms are used to identify specific situations, such as depression, anxiety, panic, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and many other terms. Good counseling is learning to navigate through these many areas of human experience.

Counseling helps a person . . .

  • develop problem solving skills.
  • develop crisis management skills.
  • develop self-responsibility.
  • develop self-awareness.
  • recognize how emotions and thoughts influence our lives.
  • learn to manage emotions.
  • learn about emotional risk in a safe setting.
  • learn that communication is more than just words.
  • learn to work successfully with others.
  • identify and understand empathy: what others think and feel.
  • learn to make decisions and to accept the consequences.

Counseling Options

  • Individual Counseling
  • Family Counseling
  • Group Counseling
  • Case Management

Timeline

The length of time an individual might spend in counseling differs. For example, facing a specific difficulty may take a few sessions while wanting to understand or change a long-term behavior pattern will take longer. The decision making process, however, generally follows a path involving the following steps:

  • Initial Meeting
  • Intake Assessment
  • Treatment Plan Development
  • Counseling Sessions
  • Closing Session(s)


 

Copyright © 2004 Robert S. Silverman. All rights reserved. Champaign, IL