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A Few Misconceptions I Learned After Studying Counseling

To the general public, counseling is mysterious and new, which has led to various misconceptions about counseling. Let's take a look at some common misconceptions about counseling, and try to see if you have similar misconceptions.

What Do You Think of Counseling?

In today's society, people are facing the impact of diverse cultures and experiencing conflicts and contradictions under various choices and temptations. In society, various interpersonal relationships, rapid pace of life, stressful work environment, and family pressure have given rise to psychological disorders. This has led to an increasing demand for psychological counseling. However, the history of psychological counseling is short and the general public is less aware of it. To the general public, counseling is mysterious and new, which has led to various misconceptions about counseling. Let's take a look at some common misconceptions about counseling, and try to see if you have similar misconceptions.



Ten common misconceptions about mental health counseling:


1) Counseling is to go to the psychiatric department in a hospital.

2) Treating psychological disorders as a physical disease.

3) Counseling is to chat.

4) Anyone can be a counselor.

5) You can solve your own mental problems through self-adjustment, no need for counseling.

6) Counselors can see through my thoughts.

7) It's a shame to go for counseling because it's a kind of mental illness.

8) Counseling should solve problems at once.

9) Counseling should not charge or should charge less.

10) The more titles the counselor has, the better the counselor is. The older the counselor, the more experienced the counselor is.


What are Some of the Mental Health Issues that Modern Teenagers are Facing?

What we need to understand is that there are a large number of adolescents today who are dealing with different mental health issues. Issues such as social anxiety, generalized anxiety or depression, among other related issues. It is very sad and distressing information that suicide has become the second leading cause of death among young people aged 15-24. A 2016 study reported that 39% of students are struggling with different mental health issues. And 13% of the world's population is dealing with mental health issues. The serious mental health issues that many teens are facing make effective counseling essential.



What are Some Common Therapy Methods?

There are several types of common therapies used by clinicians. Psychodynamic therapy aims to uncover the connection between the unconscious mind and the patients’ actions. As the patient talks freely about what is on his or her mind, the therapist will effectively analyze the reasons that have caused stress to the patient. On the other hand, behavioral therapy focuses on modifying behavioral responses.

Cognitive behavioral therapy uses this idea to help the patient to replace negative actions with more positive patterns to cope with the distress. For example, keeping track of negative thoughts in a journal is something a therapist often suggests. Different schools of thought on psychology allow different types of therapeutic methods. There is never an absolute right therapy for a specific condition just as there is never an absolute right school of thought for psychology.



Do You Need to be Diagnosed with Mental Illness to go to Counseling?

There are many negative stereotypes associated with seeing a psychologist when people think of psychological counseling. Many people believe seeing a counselor is specifically for those who have mental health problems. But in fact, psychological support can be beneficial for a large variety of reasons. Common reasons that people seek psychological support include stress, adjusting to major life changes, anxiety, depression or low mood, self-esteem, and behavioral problems such as poor concentration or hyperactivity. Counselors are trained to help people to work through these problems. Seeing a psychologist is not exclusive to individuals with severe mental health problems, but is for everyone from simple stress problems to the severe psychological difficulties.



What's the Difference between Talk Therapy and Regular Conversations?

Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy, is when mental health professionals use communication to help normalize mental health diagnoses and therapy, it is also helpful in reducing symptoms of many mental disorders. As a result, talk therapy is becoming mainstream nowadays. Many people assume that talking therapy is the same as talking to a close friend or parents; however, there are significant differences between the two. Therapists are objective: unlike friends and family who usually have a biased perspective and will provide you with biased advice, therapists view patients’ issues with a clinical perspective and won’t provide advice. Moreover, unlike conversations between two people, in which the two are equally involved in terms of sharing thoughts, talk therapy is patient-centered, which topics are all about the patient.



With all the pressures people face in our society today, many people have no way to release their inner stress and thus suffer from mental illness. One good solution is to talk with a counselor. Many people mistakenly believe that counseling can only help people who already have mental illnesses, but counseling can also be a good way to prevent mental illness. Another misconception is the mistaken confusion between psychotherapy and counseling. In short, counseling can help people to solve problems in their lives.


If you have stress in your mind
that you can't release, then seek
the help of a professional
counselor!





Writer | Natalia, Jennifer, Cindy, Debbie, Jiaying, Susie

Proofreading | Natalia, Zhichen Liu

Typesetting | Gina, Kelly


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