Counseling or Therapeutic Relationship

The Therapeutic Relationship is formed when assisting or attempting to assist an individual with emotional, behavioral, or mental issues.  The therapist/counselor must be present, listen and respond.  The client must be present, talk and be honest.

1. Everyone has periods of time in their life of difficulty, change and transition, when personal issues affect their work and relationships. Issues such as family, marital, career, financial, physical, abuse of alcohol/drugs, or a variety of mental issues.
    
2. Counseling can help with incongruent thoughts, difficult relationships, career issues, over-whelming emotions, fears, disturbing memories, bad habits, confusion, chemical dependencies, violence and anger issues, adjustment issues and depression.
    
3. Counseling/therapy is a multi-level process that requires you to have the ability, desire and willingness to see yourself objectively.
    
4. Drugs & alcohol use creates false realities and self-images, interfering with the underlying issues and the ability to gain deeper insights. Individuals actively using drugs or alcohol must go through assessment and be referred to a recovery program, or Chemical Dependency Counselor first.
    
5. Mental struggles can be physical, psychological, emotional, intellectual or cultural.  There are no discrimination barriers to private pain.
    
6. Counseling provides options for change. You, as the client, are ultimately responsible for change or non-change.
    
7. Change can be the catalyst for growth and personal maximization.
    
8. You will benefit the most from counseling if you explore options and pursue solutions to your hopes and aspirations. 
    
9. The input and active participation from you, the client, is essential in order to ensure your individuality and personal style.
    
10. It is of the utmost importance that you find the kind of help that will be most beneficial to you. You must seek a counselor that you feel comfortable with—professionally, religiously, and emotionally.
     
11. Counselors are not “value free”, this is a myth.  As the client you can inquire at anytime as to the counselor’s values regarding a specific issue.  Ideally, the counselor’s goal is to help the client explore options and choices; to help the client determine their own values. 
     
12. Our job, together, is to work with the many variables in your life, as you present them in counseling, translating them into more productive habits and effective functioning to meet your life goals.
     
13. Counseling, at its best, is gaining understanding, then perceiving options and finding encouragement for making changes.  
     
14. Counseling, as in the context of a therapeutic relationship, does not guarantee saved marriages, continued employment, social acceptance, or elimination of presenting symptoms.  Nor, is it a guarantee that symptoms won’t worsen. 
     
15. Many clients remain “stuck” due to external influences beyond the therapeutic relationship or lack of commitment to explore options and try alternatives. 
     
16. Again, you, as the client, are ultimately responsible for change or non-change.
     
17. And, you, as the client, may terminate counseling at any time you deem it to be non-beneficial.