Counseling is process where an individual, couple, family, or child engage in a therapeutic professional relationship with a therapist to help understand, manage, and treat mild problematic metal health distress to debilitating mentally heath symptoms. Counseling is best understood as a relational process where the individual begins to form a bond with the therapist. The bond is created as one continues to feel safe, understood, and not judged by the therapist. As this bond grows in the counseling process, one can feel comfortable to share more about their life and the uncomfortable feelings that accompany their past and present experiences and future anticipations.

The length of counseling can vary in range. Some find the counseling process to take as little as six months. Where others choose to spend more time in the relationship with the therapist which could last several years. No matter what one chooses, the time spent in counseling is effective in creating growth for the individual to have a better quality of life, little to no symptoms, deeper meaningful relational connections, greater self-esteem, and greater comfort experiencing difficult emotions. Due to these reasons, individuals find counseling to be a deeply meaningful investment in their lives. Some even may say the most important.

This post also appears at the La Vie Counseling Center's website.