Hello Everyone!
Even though I've been in the process of moving and unpacking this past week I have a new post as promised. Today I have a follow up to my first Depression Awareness Post: My Story click here In this post I'm going to share my experiences with going into counseling.
Even before I was diagnosed with depression in August 2009, I actually started seeing my college counselor in September 2008. My primary reason for going to counseling was due to stress that I wasn't dealing with.
Meeting with my College Counselor for the First Time
I had so many thoughts running through my mind while I sat in the waiting room. Is this lady going to judge me?...Can I really open up to a complete stranger?...Do I even need or want to be here?....like I said I had so many thoughts as I sat there waiting.
Once I got into her office it was more of a meet and greet. She asked me some questions about myself based on my intake packet I filled out in the waiting room. That first session wasn't bad at all. I didn't feel judged or anything negative. So when she asked me if I wanted to come back, I said yes.
Counseling Overall
Honestly I found counseling to be helpful in maintaining balance in my life. Over time I felt I could open up and trust my counselor. I think it's so important to find a counselor you can trust because the more you trust someone, the more likely you will feel comfortable to talk about your life.
Counseling is also a great way that I found an outside opinion. Even though I can talk to people that are close to me, sometimes you need someone else's point of view. A counselor's point of view will be non biased. I loved that I could talk about anything in counseling. The main focuses sessions included stress management and learning to cope when I struggled with depression. Every session I had didn't tackle the negative things I felt, I had plenty of sessions where I discussed all the positive things that were going on in my life.
My counseling experience lasted for almost 2 years until I May 2010 when I graduated college. I think that counseling was very beneficial in helping me deal with life's issues and issues within my own life. I even kept in touch with my counselor a few times after I graduated (she retired the year I graduated because of health issues) She was such a kind woman that helped me deal with my stress and depression. Sadly she died in November 2012 from cancer. I like to think that I'm living my life to the fullest, and using the coping skills she helped me develop would make her proud of me. I'm not in counseling now, but I would go to another counselor in the future if I found the need too because it was very beneficial in helping me become the woman I am today.
Have you had any experiences with counseling?
Side Note: I know that depression is a sensitive topic, so if anyone doesn't feel comfortable leaving a comment in the comment section below, feel free to send me an email
beautyandmorebypilar@gmail.com
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18 comments:
I think talking about it and bringing awareness does help you and others in the same situation . You doing the right thing by going to a counselor and bring it here for others to see is not something you should be ashamed of good luck doll.
Thanks Jackie! I found counseling very beneficial especially during college. The stress of course work and my personal life is what made me seek counseling. A misconception of counseling is that a person goes because they have a lot of issues. That's not necessarily true. I know I can only speak for myself, but there were many sessions I had with my counselor that I discussed all the positive things that occurred in my life. Either if a person is experiencing issues or just needs someone to help put things into perspective, you're right there's nothing to be ashamed about talking with a counselor.
I love that you are still continuing to do depression awareness posts, Pilar! I personally have never been to conseling, but I know in the past that there were times I probably could/should have been. I've also considered going for my anxiety a while ago but I think I've learned to managed it on my own, which I'm proud of myself for!
And I also agree that having an outside opinion that isn't biased is a good thing! This is a great post, and I'm so sorry to hear about your counselors passing!
She sounded lovely and so helpful! So sorry to hear about her passing. I went to one once, but all he did was sit and listen to me. LOL He didn't really offer any solutions or guidance to my problems at the time. I had to figure things out myself. He just charged me a lot. HaHaHa So that kind of turned me off from ever approaching it again.
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Great post. Counseling can benefit so many people in so many ways. I'm sorry to hear that your counselor passed. She sounded like a lovely person.
I find counseling works but only for the people that want it to work. I am glad it helped you x
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I went for a few sessions once when I was really struggling to stay positive, I kinda gave up on life or so to speak. She was amazing and made me look at things in a very different way so yep, I do believe in counselling however. I have to agree with Kelsey & Kenecha too, it will only work if the person really wants to change for the better.
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Counseling is such a helpful option. Finding the right counselor is so important. This first one I went to ended up making my problems worse kept trying to focus on why I wasn't dating anyone (I was 21 and in college) instead of helping me figure out why I was having frequent panic attacks. Luckily, I ended up going to someone else, and he was very helpful. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if anyone is reading this that has had a bad experience with counseling, please keep looking for someone who can help you. There is someone, I promise.
Thanks Ashley! That's great you learned to manage your anxiety on your own! I haven't been to counseling in almost 5 years, but I took a lot from it on managing stress, anxiety, and depression. I knew my counselor had cancer for years, but it was so sad to hear she died. She was a really nice lady and overall kindhearted person.
Thanks Kim! She was helpful! Yeah you have to watch out for counselors like the one you mentioned lol! I think that's another reason why people don't go back due to the lack of guidance and response from the counselor. It's so important to find a counselor that you feel comfortable talking to about your life along with helping you.
Thanks Marie! I agree counseling can be very beneficial!
Thanks ladies! You're right counseling can work, but in order for that to happen a person has to be open minded towards the experience.
I think the more a person feel comfortable discussing things with a counselor, the more the person can open up about their life. My counselor was amazing too, and she also helped me see things in a different way. Sometimes when you look at things from a different angle it help you see things more clearly and rationally.
You're so right Lauren! Even if a person has a bad experience with a counselor, doesn't mean they should give up on finding a person who can help them. That first counselor you went to sounds awful! Sadly you have counselors out there who focus on irrelevant issues instead what you came to discuss. I'm glad you were able to find a counselor that could help you!
These are great posts Pilar! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being brave and speaking about depression! I have gone to counselors off and on. When I have gone, they have been through school and have helped tremendously. Now that I am out of school, they are a bit much for me to afford so I am holding off, but I hope I can go again one day.
Thank you so much for the kind words Margo! I hope that writing these type posts will help someone. I went to counseling when I was in college too. Counseling sessions can be expensive, but if you search around you should be able to find free counseling services in your city or work out a payment plan if cost is an issue. Hope this helps!
I think counseling is good, if nothing else it is a safe place to talk out problems you may be having in your life, and may help you be able to resolve those issues.
I agree! That's also an important factor, counseling being a safe haven.
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