There are two very different traditions which fall under the umbrella terms of counselling and psychotherapy. One tradition is medical, clinical, the domain of mental health workers such as social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists. The other is a tradition of personal growth: for the broader population, it is about dealing with personal challenges, and becoming happier and creating a better life. I am trained in the second tradition; I am a personal growth counsellor.
To make this more clear: those mental health workers are trained to provide assessments and diagnoses and treatments for mental disorders, typically as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Society has given them the task of helping "ill" and "insane" people get better, or at least avoid further harm.
By contrast, I am trained to work with issues related to life more broadly: life's problems and goals. I work with grief, relationships, motivation, big decisions, direction and purpose, and so on. My training is focused on those issues, not on mental illness. I regularly work with depression and anxiety, but that's because the majority of such cases are rooted in life circumstances, or in emotional patterns which can be addressed through personal growth work.
So you should not see me, and instead see a mental health professional if:
To make this more clear: those mental health workers are trained to provide assessments and diagnoses and treatments for mental disorders, typically as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Society has given them the task of helping "ill" and "insane" people get better, or at least avoid further harm.
By contrast, I am trained to work with issues related to life more broadly: life's problems and goals. I work with grief, relationships, motivation, big decisions, direction and purpose, and so on. My training is focused on those issues, not on mental illness. I regularly work with depression and anxiety, but that's because the majority of such cases are rooted in life circumstances, or in emotional patterns which can be addressed through personal growth work.
So you should not see me, and instead see a mental health professional if:
- You are seeking treatment for a mental disorder (other than anxiety or depression)
- You are currently not stable (for example psychotic, or experiencing mania)
- You regularly struggle to keep yourself safe (self-harm, suicide, impulsive risk-taking)
- You appear to suffer Borderline Personality Disorder, or complex trauma or PTSD
- You are substance addicted to the point that you are often not sober
- You are likely to be uncooperative or aggressive in counselling