Counseling can be a positive first step toward wellness. There used to be a time when people who saw a counselor or therapist had to talk about it in secrecy. Now people talk about counseling over coffee and attending therapy is something many people do on a regular basis. Admittedly, there are still a number of common misconceptions about counseling, but the stigma that once existed is thankfully dissipating.

There are many reasons to find a counselor or therapist, here are a few:

1. To treat intrusive symptoms.

When your life, or that of a loved one, is being turned upside down by depression, a mood disorder, anxiety, etc., therapy can help. You don’t have to wait for your symptoms to get worse or wreak havoc on your life before seeking help. You can effectively treat your depression and many other conditions with counseling.

2. To improve the quality of your relationships.

As humans we are social creatures and the state of our relationships can play a large role in how we feel and function. Following this line of thought, an unhappy romantic relationship can contribute to your anxiety and depression, and having no relationship can also leave you feeling unhappy.

Counseling can help you to explore what is going on in your relationships and learn powerful interpersonal relational skills. Therapy can improve the way you interact with others and the quality of your relationships. 

3. To overcome complicated grief.

Grief can be all consuming. There is not set timeframe for moving forward after a loss and you deserve support as you process what has happened. Therapy can provide a supportive space for you to explore how you are feeling and find what moving forward might look like for you. 

4. To help your children with their challenges. 

Parenting can be overwhelming. If you are concerned about your child’s behaviors or what they are experiencing, counseling can often be helpful. A skilled child therapist can teach your child effective coping skills and strategies. They can also provide you with support as you parent your child. You don’t have to face parenting challenges alone, counseling can help. 

5. To treat addiction.

Substance abuse and addiction can wreak havoc on your physical and mental health. It can be hard to know what to do when you, or someone you care about, is battling addiction. Counseling can help. It can also resolve issues that may affect everyone in the family. Family counseling can offer a number of benefits as well.

6. To improve self-esteem.

Low self-esteem can affect your emotional health. It can make you focus on avoiding mistakes, rather than on growing and improving. It can make you miss out on a lot of wonderful opportunities throughout life. It can also lead to depression and anxiety. You can improve the way you view yourself and increase your self-esteem, therapy can help. 

7. To learn to manage overwhelming emotions.

Life can be overwhelming. We have many responsibilities and can feel as if we are being pulled in a million different directions. You can only feel overwhelmed for so long before your emotions become intense and you begin to feel burned out. Therapy can help you to address your emotions and learn powerful skills to regulate them. 

8. Become more assertive. 

Many of us feel that we need to say no more than we do, but it can be difficult to assert ourselves and set boundaries. Counseling can help you to identify where you may need to set different boundaries and limits in your life. With your therapist you can learn powerful assertiveness and communication skills to help you set limits and feel confident in saying no when you want to. 

9. Help you achieve better life balance.

Practicing self-care and finding balance can be challenging. Most of us feel as if we are in constant pursuit of the elusive “life balance”. Counseling can help you to find what balance may look like for you and then help you get there. 

There are many benefits to counseling. A caring, impartial, and capable therapist contracted with Carolina Counseling Services — Sanford, NC might be exactly who you are looking for. Call CCS today to get started. Find out what counseling can do for you!