Why (Not) go for Counselling?

Counselling is for other people with "mental health" problems.

The stigma about mental health causes so much suffering, it breaks my heart. But this truth will take a minute, so hang in there with me.

Physical health & mental health are the same. Modern medical technologies prove that the human body is completely interconnected: always has been whole. Science broke it up into 'systems', & now science is correcting itself. We tend to think of trauma as the “big ones,” like war or rape. It’s true that “big-T" traumas can be devastating.

The ACE studies show that Adverse Childhood Events result in adult diseases, like heart attack, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, (the list goes on), even cancer. Because "little t"" interruptions are "little" they often go unnoticed or because the child cannot communicate what they can't understand, adults dismiss events as trivial. Adverse events are traumatic to a child. Childhood trauma is more devastating to health than those that occur in adulthood.

The bottom line is there's nothing "wrong" with you. If you broke a leg you'd go to the doctor. Going for counselling is a normal and important part of your medical care. And going to a counsellor may improve overall health.

Counselling costs too much.

False. Registered Clinical Counsellors are a bargain at $120 - $150/hr (BC Association for Clinical Counsellors, 2020). Some employers’ extended benefit plans cover counselling.

Yes, everything is expensive. Let’s compare: Mechanics $75-150/hr, Electricians $100.00/hr; Plumber $200.00/hr. Lawyers $200 - $650 /hr. Personal trainer $60/half-hour session.

I’d rather talk to my friends.

Yes, friends you can trust are so important! So is family. Support is so important during happy and hard times. You’re right to hold them close to your heart.

But therapy is a working relationship. I believe if you’re reading this blog, you’re thinking about change or working through something. Friends aren’t trained to guide the work of psychotherapy. RCCs in BC must have a Master’s degree, specific to counselling psychology.

It’s important to choose the right working relationship fit for you so, interview a few counsellors till you find the person you trust and feel comfortable doing “your work” with. I always offer a free, first, get-to-know-you consultation. No strings attached. You decide.

I’d feel weird talking about this stuff to a stranger.

True. But I bet there’s something in your background that’s even too personal to talk to your friends about. You are not alone.

Psychotherapists guard your privacy and confidentiality. Sometimes exploring your deepest personal experiences outside your family or friends, with someone who may have experience with the same secrets, can be the healthiest choice. You don’t have to be alone anymore.

Blah,blah,blah, what good is talking going to do?

Well, you’ve got me there. Most psychotherapists and psychologists believe Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is the gold standard. Neuroscience suggests that trauma occurs in parts of the brain and body that are not connected to talking. Although change can happen with CBT, the success rate may be less than 50%. Though many disagree, in my opinion, what good is talking going to do? Body Psychotherapies. True.

Many MDs are calling for body psychotherapies to be publicly funded; part of our healthcare system (like doctors, hospitals and community clinics)!

The advanced techniques of IBP were specifically developed to work with the situations and events of childhood trauma.

---

(a few) References

BC Association of Clinical Counsellors. (n.d.) https://bc-counsellors.org/find-a-counsellor/fee-schedule/

Brcic, V. & Christie, D. (2018). Trauma as a determinant of health. UBC CPD https://thischangedmypractice.com/trauma-as-a-determinant-of-health/

Burke-Harris, Nadine. (2014) How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime. TED: Ideas Worth Spreading. https://www.ted.com/talks/nadineburke_harris_how_childhood_trauma_affects_health_across_a_lifetime.

Kar, N. (2011). Cognitive behavioral therapy for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder: A review. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 7(1), 167-181.

Soeiro, L. (2017). 10 Reasons why people refuse to talk to therapists. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/i-hear-you/201710/10-reasons-why-people-refuse-talk-therapists