counselling - a load of old b******s?

[number8]

So is it? strikes me that it's money for old rope and is used by the feeble minded.

[BadBob]

As it happens I think its been proven that in some cases (I don't have figures/stats) that counselling can make things worse for people. I think there are some people who need to talk about things and others who don't. What I do think is becoming a problem is the idea that after a bad event people are routinely "sent for counselling" irrespective of wether they want to. I had a bad experience a few years ago, i dealt with it on my own in my head and then forgot about it and got on with life. I think having to go to counselling, for me, would have delayed the whole process and made it worse.

[smudge]

I have had counselling a few times when suffering from depression, which helped short term, but I do feel that councellors are only sounding boards. I also personally know a couple of counsellors who have lots of their own problems that they can't seem to sort out themselves. Both drink too much, smoke dope on a regular basis so they can't really afford to preach too much to others surely, can they?

[andy hughes]

It does depend on your definition of 'couselling'. If you are talking the amateur 'listening' counselling, such as that provided by Smaritans, it is strictly a listening situation, a method by which an individual can talk though their own problems, and arrive at a solution, indeed, a central plank of Smaritans' philosphy is an active avoidance of giving advice or offering solutions. profeesional counselling is a very skilled job, with specific aims and objectives based on the skill of the counsellor in identifying the needs of the clinet, and it should not be dismissed so lightly. Unfortunately, a large number of charlatans set up as 'counsellors' with nothing more to offer than a need to feel important - they sound like examples in the previous response, but the genuine trained consellor provides a valuable and useful service.

[Greedyfly]

I have suffered with bad depresson since I was 7yrs old and many years on counselling has done s*** for me. But I suppose everyone is different. I think you just have to find the right counsellor.

[incitatus]

i found counsellors to be a valuable sounding board, and that is what they are- a replacement for the old maiden aunts that everyone used to have. And i believe that unless something is deeply wrong they should be avoided. But when things are deeply wrong they are great

[melandraf]

Had weeks of coucelling a few years ago. Had to go on the bus. Afterwards i had to go home on the bus alone in tears after the session. After my 16 weeks of this torture was up, i felt absolutly no better. Pointless waste of my time, concillors time and money. However, just recently i have put pen to paper and writing everything down. Turning my cr*p and unhappiness into a book. This has been suprisingly helpful in exorcising demons. More cathartic than the rotton old councelling, that's for sure... Hope you make a good decision Scubaboy. Good Luck.