Why Counseling - or is it Psychotherapy?
First, let's look at what counseling or psychotherapy is. One definition of counseling is "To give professional help on social or psychological problems." Psychotherapy is more specifically defined in my dictionary as "Treatment of emotional and psychosomatic disorders based on the application of psychological knowledge." The difference in practice can be minimal and usually has more do to with State licensing titles than it does with what the professional actually does. Using the broader definition of "To give professional help on social or psychological problems," let's proceed to the "Why?"
All of us encounter difficulties in life and often life itself is the best therapist. However, it has been my experience that the right therapist can be invaluable in helping us more efficiently navigate the challenges that life presents. To seek counsel is a wise move, whether one's need and wish is to understand and deal with specific personal, emotional, or social problems or to expand one's horizons and experience personal growth.
Waiting for life to begin is a common malady. As young children, we wait for Christmas and Birthdays. We can't wait to be sixteen and get a driver's license - life will really begin then. Or, maybe when we find that one special person with whom to share our life - life will begin. Or, maybe when we have children, or when the children are grown and gone. STOP!! Life's markers are just that - markers along the way. Real life is what is happening right now, this instant and the next, merging into memories as we experience them. This is it!! Real life is here and now. How then, shall we make it count? By living the questions with awareness, until we live our way into the answers. As a counselor, I don't have your questions or your answers, but I can be a guide on your journey within to discover them.
