Counselling and psychotherapy provides a person with a safe confidential space that allows them to work through a range of personal issues. It can be useful to help deal with depression, anxiety and stress.
Some key benefits:
Relief from depression and anxiety
More able to manage stress
Improved communication and interpersonal skills
Increased confidence and self esteem
Ability to recognise distorted thinking and self defeating behaviours
More ability to regulate emotions
Carl Rogers developed person centred therapy and his research work found that successful therapy produced lasting changes. Rogers and his colleagues observed certain trends and directions appearing within clients. These trends and directions suggest that the real benefit of therapy is an understanding of our self, a discovery of who we truly are which enables people to accept themselves allowing them to live more real.
Outcomes of therapy: (1)
Moving away from facades is one of the first observations. They recognise certain personas have been built as a defence. People tend to become less rigid.
Away from ought’s. Very often individuals behave in ways they feel other people want them to rather than how they want to be. An example here could be doing things or acting a certain way because of your parents’ influence. They found many clients become more aware of what is correct for them and are able to set healthy boundaries
Away from expectations. Some clients move away from what culture expects them to be and are less likely to conform without question.
Autonomy. A client begins to become responsible for themself and decides what activities and behaviours have meaning for them.
Open to experience. As people become less defensive and more open to themselves they become more open and accepting of others. More realistic perceptions tend to form and behaviour tends to become more mature.
Tension of all types is reduced, physiological tension, psychological discomfort and anxiety.
How does it work:
During counselling a person finds themself being listened to acceptantly which slowly allows them to listen to themselves. This allows them to listen to feelings which have been denied and repressed. The acceptance of these feelings allows the process to move forward. A person begins to experience themself more in the moment, more realistically.
Some research published by Therapy Today (March 2022):
The overall effect size for therapy is larger than the success rate for the flu vaccines and heart surgery. (2)
Research suggests more than three quarters of people who have therapy are emotionally better off than those that don’t. (2)
Findings from thousands of trials over more than four decades tell us counselling and psychotherapy have a success rate just as high as the majority of treatments for physical illness. (3)
Seventy six percent of people, having had therapy, would recommend it to friends according to a recent BACP study. (4)
One U.S. large scale study found that of the people feeling fairly poor at the beginning of therapy 92% reported feeling an improvement by the end of therapy. (5)
Counselling saves lives.
References:
Rogers,C. (2004), On Becoming A Person. London: Constable
Lemma, A et al. (2011), Brief dynamic interpersonal therapy: a clinician’s guide. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Layard, R. Clark, D.M. (2014), Thrive: the power of psychological therapy. London:Penguin.
BACP, (2019), Counselling changes lives:public perception survey. Lutterworth:BACP
Seligman, M.E. (1995), The effectiveness of psychotherapy-the consumer reports study. American Psychologist 50(12):965-974