SIGNS YOU MAY BENEFIT FROM COUNSELING
BY KIMBERLY CARROLL, MA, LPC, LADC
It is nice that in the world today people can walk into any mental health counseling office and not feel the stigma that once existed. Going to counseling today does not mean that something is wrong with you, but just that you have decided to move forward in a more effective way and you have sought help in doing so. So when is the right time to seek services? Honestly, I don't think there's any "best time" but some times may be more noticeable than others. However, other times it is only in retrospect that you look back in life and say, "Wow, if I had not gotten help when I did who knows where I would be today?"
So I compiled this numbered list to avoid a long narrative. Here are some signs that you may benefit from counseling beyond the giant milestone, red flags-waving life events:
1. You're involved in behaviors that you may struggle to agree with; like an internal battle in your brain, but it feels like there is no winning anytime soon.
2. You find that your behaviors do not align with the person you wish to be. (I know doingthis isn't helping me, but it’s not like I can just stop it.)
3. You're not able to quit or manage unhelpful thoughts or behaviors on your own despite your efforts.
4. Your money or time is becoming devoted to something that may not actually be supporting you or bringing you actual happiness; it may rather be keeping you from paying bills or meeting other obligations.
5. Important areas of your life such as work, housing or home upkeep, paying bills, time spent with your family and employment etc. are taking a hit due to your thinking patterns, emotions, or behaviors such as with addictions.
6. You are stuck in unhelpful thinking patterns, behaviors or remain stuck in emotional ruts despite trying something new, things keep going back to the way it was.
7. You keep finding yourself using substances or engaging in other addictions such as over eating, under eating over working or over exercising as a way to manage or control symptoms.
8. You have found yourself isolating or avoiding people or places and engaging in less recreational or social activity.
9. You have actually thought to yourself that maybe you should try counseling or perhaps you're not sure what to do but you know something needs to change.
10. You need some help and wish to find direction to live a more satisfying life. (but remember though, it is not the therapist's job to decide what you should be doing, but they may provide you with some experiments and activities to help you begin deciding that!)
11. Short-term reasons that may include life adjustments due to life transitions, job loss, new life roles or taking on caregiver roles, etc, that may cause some short-term distress,
12. Struggling to fully resolve grief or psychological losses.
13. When you begin avoiding things in life due to past events; essentially, to avoid people, places, sounds, feelings that may bring back painful memories, but ultimately, may largely impact one's ability to enjoy life.
14. Despite trying something new, things keep going back to the way it was.
15. You keep finding yourself using substances or engaging in other addictions such as over eating, under eating over working or over exercising as a way to manage or control symptoms.
16. You have found yourself isolating or avoiding people or places and engaging in less recreational or social activity.
17. You have actually thought to yourself that maybe you should try counseling or perhaps you're not sure what to do but you know something needs to change.
18. You need some help and wish to find direction to live a more satisfying life. (but remember though, it is not the therapist's job to decide what you should be doing, but they may provide you with some experiments and activities to help you begin deciding that!) Therapy can give you some initial steps for considering what you value and how to keep yourself on track in going in that direction.
19. Short-term reasons that may include life adjustments due to life transitions, job loss, new life roles or taking on caregiver roles.
20. You have known for a while that you just NEED to change, and YOU are ready for it, but wonder where to begin. Counseling can give you that added help to start understanding what you really want and where to start.
