How A Mental Health Counselor Can Help You

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

How does mental health counseling help?

Mental health therapy helps, no matter the type of therapy, because it helps people “unlearn” unhealthy thought patterns and coping mechanisms, and replace those unhealthy patterns with healthy ones. Healthy thought patterns and behaviors will improve with consistent talk therapy and counseling, which will bleed over into every other facet of your life. Mental health therapy helps with previously experienced trauma, unprocessed fears, and a host of personality, mood, and other mental disorders by getting to the root of them and developing healthy and effective ways to manage symptoms and feel comfortable in your skin. To make sure mental health counseling does its job, however, it is imperative to make sure that you are your counselor are a good fit. If not, you can stop therapy with a poor fit and restart therapy with another counselor who is better suited for you.

How do counselors help with anxiety?

Although some types of anxiety require medication for successful management, others are managed very well with a certain type of therapy or counseling. This is because not all anxiety behaves in the same way, and many anxiety symptoms are derived from unhealthy thought patterns and ineffective coping mechanisms, like avoidance. It can seem like a management technique to avoid things that provoke anxiety—and can be necessary, as healing is in its first stages—but avoidance is actually a core symptom of anxiety disorders, and can make symptoms increase in severity. A counselor can help you reframe your thoughts, and learn how to more effectively manage the feeling that arise in response to anxiety disorders’ triggers. For some, therapy or counseling is enough to recover from anxiety disorders, while for others, anxiety is a lifelong companion, with seasons of higher and lower symptoms. In either case, though, counseling can help soothe anxiety symptoms and provide relief.

Can mental health counselor diagnose?

Some mental health professionals will diagnose, depending on state licensing requirements and guidelines, though LCSWs (licensed clinical social workers) do not typically provide diagnoses for their clients. This is an important distinction to make, because diagnoses are often the first steps on the road to recovery; after all, how can you treat the problem, if you are not sure what the problem actually is? Knowing who can diagnose is an important step in the process of finding the right therapist. Mental health counselors will typically begin a treatment regimen with a period of intake and assessment, followed by a diagnosis. Speaking with a patient or client for as little as one session or as much as 5 or more sessions allows a counselor to gain a well-rounded portrait of a patient’s concerns and symptoms, in order to deliver an accurate diagnosis or diagnoses. Group therapy, marriage, and family therapy are three types of therapy that are unlikely to yield a diagnosis, however, as the purpose of these types of therapy is on relationship dynamics and goals, rather than individual diagnoses.

What skills do mental health counselors need?

Mental health counselors must exhibit kindness, consideration, patience, critical thinking skills, and active listening skills. Mental health counselors listen to people discuss some extremely private and vulnerable things, and they must be able to meet that vulnerability and openness with compassion, while making sure they are listening to what is and is not being said. Licensed professional counselors must also use critical thinking, because they have to listen to a patient, determine the source of their issues, and deliver diagnoses and treatment plans correctly. Although the desire to listen to and help others is a fantastic foundation for wanting to be a mental health professional, the desire to help must be paired with appropriate boundary-setting, and the ability to evaluate critically—especially in group therapy settings and other settings that might require a split focus. Although not everyone who steps into your practice will be a good fit for your skills, maintaining your skills can help make sure you are able to provide mental health counseling to as many clients as possible.

What skills do you need to work in mental health?

One of the most important skills to have to work in mental health services is that of setting and maintaining boundaries. Boundaries are essential to working as a mental health professional because the relationship between a good therapist and patient can set the stage for health improvements—or further dives into illness. Why? The relationship established between a client and a counselor is one based on trust and vulnerability. If that trust is betrayed and vulnerability is regarded with scorn, disgust, or any other type of harmful response, the person may struggle to open up again in the future.

Learning how to effectively set boundaries—maintain a professional distance, maintain professional working hours, and set clear rules and expectations—will make sure the relationship between the patient and therapist remains intact, and will also make sure that both the patient and therapist feel comfortable, know what their role is, and what is and is not appropriate moving forward, including in group therapy and any other type of therapy.

In addition to being able to maintain and set boundaries, mental health professionals must be able to demonstrate compassion and active listening. While anyone can sit in silence while someone else speaks, therapists do not merely listen; they ask questions, clarify thought patterns, and identify behaviors that might not be visible to the person exhibiting them. Therapists must also greet their clients with compassion, because compassion can help limit the spread and scope of feelings of shame—feelings that can compound and intensify existing issues.

Is anxiety a mental illness?

The term “mental illness” is not one that is often used, anymore, because it has come to be associated with negativity. Instead of mental illness, the term “mental condition” or “mental disorder” is preferred, because the word disorder more accurately describes what is happening in mental health conditions: disordered thinking and disordered behavior. That being said, anxiety is counted among the many mental health conditions recognized by mental health professionals today. The reasons for this are numerous, but perhaps the most significant reasons are as follows: anxiety has a strong, deleterious effect on daily life. Anxiety symptoms can significantly impair a person’s ability to form and maintain relationships. Anxiety is not cured or avoided by simply changing some habits or inviting healthier patterns into your life. Anxiety disorders are diagnosed mental health conditions that require treatment—treatment that can look different for everyone. Some are able to stop therapy within a matter of months and continue to experience positive changes, while others will need therapy indefinitely.

What helps severe anxiety?

Severe anxiety is best tackled through a multi-layered approach involving all aspects of an individual’s life. To start, many people with severe anxiety secure a prescription to an anxiety medication, whether that medication is an SSRI, a benzodiazepine, or a beta blocker, and begin attending regular therapy sessions, as all different types of therapy can be useful in treating anxiety symptoms, including family therapy. These together can be a wonderful way to begin working on anxiety symptoms and providing relief and may involve different doctors; after all a family doctor can prescribe anti-anxiety medication, while symptoms are best treated by another mental wellness professional. Patients with severe anxiety may also wish to include supplementary changes, such as exposure therapy, lifestyle changes, dietary changes, and mindfulness practices, all of which can fuse together to create a robust and engaging treatment regimen.

What should I not tell a psychiatrist?

Although there are not truly things that are considered “off limits” to a psychiatrist, it does bear mentioning that all mental health professionals, including psychiatrists are required to report any illegal activity identified by their clients, whether that illegal activity is conducted by the client, or someone close to the client. Crimes and abuse are the two most commonly reported things that a psychiatrist must then turn and report to the proper authority, but this does not mean that you should not tell a psychiatrist: if someone is being abused, it is better for that information to come to the fore and be addressed. If a crime has been committed or is being contemplated, that can also benefit from being divulged. Apart from these things, you can speak to a psychiatrist or other mental health professional about any symptoms or concerns you feel comfortable disclosing. Psychiatrists are often utilized primarily as a way to secure a diagnosis, and finding the right therapist might mean going through several different types of mental health professionals.

What is the difference between school counseling and mental health counseling?

The two types of therapy can be quite similar, or can be extremely divergent, depending on what is being requested of the counselor. If a child in school attends therapy and counseling due to issues at home, for instance, the process of receiving counseling is unlikely to be too different from that of a mental health counselor outside of school. If, however, a child is struggling with school-specific issues, such as feeling inadequate and struggling to complete homework, a school counselor will likely focus treatment efforts on schoolwork and school-based concerns, rather than using a wider treatment scope.

What does a mental health counselor do on a daily basis?

On a daily basis, a mental health counselor can expect to consult with a handful of clients with mental disorders or mental health conditions for sessions ranging from 30-90 minutes, followed by or preceded by corresponding paperwork and diagnostic and treatment work. For most types of mental health counselors, the day is not absolutely stocked with clients back-to-back; instead, clients are dotted throughout the day, with paperwork and individual client information being completed, tweaked, and worked on in the in-between times. Most types of mental health counselors may have fewer clients or more, depending on the practice in which they are working. Working in a hospital setting, for instance, might involve more paperwork and healthcare team work and fewer one-on-one sessions, while a private practice or mental health clinic might involve fewer team approaches and more one-on-one sessions with clients.

How do you diagnose mental health?

Mental disorders are diagnosed only after a thorough assessment and intake has been conducted by someone with a medical degree or an advanced health services education. This is vital to delivering an accurate diagnosis to clients, as mental disorders can often present as one another, and a quick glance at a sheet of reported symptoms or a few minutes of talking is certainly not enough to determine what is plaguing and individual’s mind. To make a diagnosis, almost types of mental health professionals will typically ask their clients to fill out a questionnaire evaluating anxiety and depressive behaviors and thoughts in the recent past (anywhere from one week to six months), speak to the client in question and ask why they are seeking therapy and what their symptoms are, evaluated signs the client is presenting, and cobble these individual observations and reports together to determine the most likely culprit. Mental health diagnoses are usually delivered in personal sessions, and are not standard in marriage and family therapy or other types of therapy.

While mental health has come a long way—even in the past decade—there are still shifts and changes to be made to diagnoses, sometimes. Borderline Personality Disorder, for instance, might mistakenly be viewed as Bipolar Disorder or Antisocial Personality Disorder, before being modified as therapy continues. Anxiety might be mistaken for a depressive disorder. Most types of mental health diagnoses offer a wonderful starting point for a healing journey, but titles and identifiers can shift throughout the healing process, based on new evidence, uncovered risk factors, and past traumas.

What are the five Counselling skills?

Five of the most important therapy and counseling skills include the following:

1. Compassion/Empathy. Expressing compassion and/or empathy for your patients is vital, because incoming patients are entrusting themselves to your care. People are often going through a great deal, and require understanding, acceptance, and kindness as they work through their issues and concerns. This is true of marriage and family therapy, individual counseling, and other types of mental health counseling, alike.
2. Active Listening. Although it may not seem particularly difficult to sit and listen to someone, there is a dramatic difference between passive listening and active listening. Passive listening takes what is being said at face value, and listens to what is being uttered. Active listening engages the person (or people, in marriage and family counseling) who is speaking by asking clarifying questions, repeating what is being said to improve feedback, and listening to what is actually being said and what is being communicated through tone of voice, body language, and behavior. Active listening can help differentiate between commonly confused mental disorders, like Bipolar Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder.
3. Effective Communication. Remember that listening passively is not all that therapy and counseling involves. You must be able to communicate with your clients, whether that is communicating ideas for treatment, identifying thought patterns and behaviors that have proven harmful to them, or asking questions about their experiences. Communication must at all times be respectful, considerate, and professional, and must be conducted in a way that helps clients feel comfortable and safe—even when counseling involves multiple perspectives and ideas, as might be the case between different family members in marriage and family counseling.
4. Critical Thinking. Licensed professional counselors must exercise critical thinking in all aspects of their work, because they are essentially the gatekeepers to mental health treatment. Mental disorders can mimic one another, intertwine with one another, and get muddied up in other issues, and it is vital for a therapist or counselor to be able to navigate these muddied waters with clarity and a keen eye for what is at the heart of a client’s issues.
5. Counseling is an organic process, with ever-changing conversations and ever-evolving treatment regimens. Rigidity does not serve this career well. Sessions will vary from person to person and day to day, and stepping into a session with a clear-cut plan for the conversation or direction of the session is a sure way to frustrate both you and your client.

What are the qualities of a good Counsellor?

A good therapist or counselor is kind, compassionate, professional, skilled at pattern recognition, a strong communicator, and a wonderful active listener.

How can I improve my counseling skills?

Continuing education is one way to improve your therapy and counseling skills. The medical field is constantly changing and innovating and mental health is no exception. New insights into human functioning, new therapeutic techniques, and new perspectives on treatment seem to emerge every week, and staying on top of those changes and shifts by attending lectures and workshops can help you continually develop skills that will benefit your clients and your practice.

As the old adage suggests, practice makes perfect. Continue working in the field, with an eye for where you can improve, and then seek out practical ways to implement those improvements. If a client says that you can come off as kind of cold, listen and adapt your greeting or demeanor. If a coworker mentions that you seem to be a few minutes late to all of your appointments, listen, and try to get to each session a little bit early. In all that you do, be sure to listen to feedback and implement changes as needed.

Why do you work in mental health?

Working in mental health is extremely rewarding. As with any medical profession, many people who work in this field feel as though they are a part of something greater than themselves, and pride themselves on being able to help people realize goals in their health, relationships, careers, and lives overall. Working in mental health can also be challenging, and days may look completely different. This can make it an ideal career for people who are not comforted or pleased by tedious work, or work that remains consistent day in and day out.

What type of therapist can diagnose?

Knowing what types of mental health professionals can diagnose will help you determine the kind of help you should seek, if you ever need it. There are a number of mental health professionals that can diagnose mental health conditions, although not every one of them will be able to prescribe medication to manage symptoms. Providers that are able to assess and diagnose mental illnesses in a private and hispital setting include:

• Psychiatrists: a psychiatrist is a medical doctor who has completed psychiatric residency training after attending medical school. They can make diagnoses, prescribe and monitor medications, and provide psychotherapy.
• Physician: any medical doctor, including your primary care physician can make a mental health diagnosis if you are under emotional distress. However, if you have mental health concerns, they might refer you to a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist.
• Nurses: although a registered nurse or nurse psychotherapist cannot make an official diagnosis, they can make suggest a diagnosis and pass it on to a physician for confirmation. A nurse practitioner or mental health nurse practitioner, on the other hand, can both diagnose and write prescriptions if they specialize in mental health nursing.
• Psychologists: in order to practice psychotherapy, psychologists must earn both a master’s degree and a doctoral degree. Psychologists can make diagnoses and provide individual and group therapy. They often take the title of psychotherapists and undergo special education in specific therapeutic techniques, such as:
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy
  • Marital and family therapy (although a marital and family therapist will rarely diagnose their patients)
  • Psychoanalysis
  • Humanistic therapy
  • Psychodynamic therapy
  • Eye movement and reprocessing therapy
• Counselors: a licensed professional counselor has obtained a master’s degree-level advanced degree in a mental health related field. Licensed professional counselors cannot prescribe or manage medications, but they can diagnose mental health conditions and assist clients with emotional or behavioral problems and provide individual and group counseling.
• Social workers: a clinical social worker has received specific clinical training, a master’s degree, and potentially a doctoral degree. Some social workers are able to diagnose mental disorders, provide individual and group counseling using therapeutic techniques, and engage in case management.

What's the difference between a counselor and a therapist?

There’s quite a bit of uncertainty about these terms because the title ‘therapist’ can be (and often is) used by any type of mental health professional that has obtained an advanced degree from an accredited graduate program, is licensed to provide a form of therapy (if they have received proper training), and has the required supervised clinical work experience. So, technically, a licensed professional counselor providing mental health services can also be called a therapist. 

There are also many types of licensed professional counselors that can provide individual and group counseling, such as a marriage and relationship counselor, drug abuse counselor, trauma counselor, pediatric counselor, and more.

Should I go to a therapist or psychiatrist?

It depends on what kind of help you need. If you are experiencing severe or debilitating mental health symptoms that may require medications, maximize efficiency by seeing a psychiatrist first. On the other hand, if you to discuss your mental health concerns, make changes to your thought patterns, or explore ways to cope with traumatic experiences, drug abuse, or a mental health condition, you may benefit from seeing a licensed professional therapist.

Can a therapist diagnose bipolar?

Yes, therapists can diagnose all types of mental health conditions and mental disorders, including bipolar disorder.