The choice to seek professional help and healing is a courageous decision.
What is Therapeutic Counseling all about?
Therapeutic counseling involves a psychological process where you and your provider work together to create change and bring about mental, emotional, psychological, and spiritual healing and growth. Therapeutic counseling provides a path to create more effective ways of coping with conflict and stress in order to lead to long-term healing. Personal integration occurs as you move toward becoming the kind of person, couple, or family you wish to become.
What problems are brought to a counselor?
All kinds, here is a partial list:
- Struggles with anxiety, depression, and doubt
- Fears due to peer pressure and school competition
- Marriage and family conflicts
- Stress-related to job or vocation dilemmas
- Stress-related to parenting, growing up, or aging
- A sense of failure or lack of fulfillment
- Concerns about chemical use and its effects on relationships
- Family issues related to divorce, remarriage and stepfamily life
- Emotional problems associated with physical illness or accident
- Coping with loss or grief
- Overcoming abuse history
What happens during a counseling session?
An opportunity is provided to explore your concerns, relationships or other issues. With increased insight and understanding, you can clarify and find it easier to move toward your chosen goals. This process will be facilitated by the caring concern, training, and experience of your counselor.
Does counseling really help?
As in any other personal process, individual satisfaction with the counseling may vary. Generally, though, the vast majority of our clients express great pleasure and satisfaction in having addressed the goals they set for themselves. Most clients report improvement in relationships that are important to them and with their overall contentment with life.
What may I expect of the counselor?
All of the counselors and providers at CHC are highly trained professionals. Their first priority is with you, as the client, and ensuring your needs are met. You may share your private concern with the utmost confide knowing that your counselor is a person with whom you can confide.
What would the counselor expect of me?
Your desire for change must be strong enough for you to make the commitment of time, energy, and personal resources. In order for significant change to occur, it will be important to meet regularly as agreed upon.
Is counseling confidential?
Yes, although there are State-required exceptions. These include (1) if you sign an Authorization to Release Protected Health Information form giving us permission to share your information; (2) if you, as the client, express an intention to take your own life or someone else’s. At that point, we are permitted by law to contact the third party to ensure the safety of all lives concerned; (3) in the event you, as a client, report any type of child or elder abuse; (4) if we receive a signed Court Order. It is CHC policy to oppose any request for records from a third party unless you already have signed a release for the same. However, if a signed Court Order is received we are bound by law to release all documents in the file. Please note that except for (4) above (the signed Court Order), CHC customarily releases only a summary of care, not actually Progress Notes.
How are issues of faith and spirituality discussed?
If you choose to introduce faith and spirituality issues, your counselor will respond in a thoughtful and informed manner. If you choose not to address faith and spirituality issues, your counselor will respect your wishes.
How would Continuing Hope Counseling LLC interact with my clergy, physician, previous counselors, or other members of the helping professions?
It is often helpful to contact persons with whom you previously have worked. Should you or your counselor feel it would be beneficial, a release of the information would be signed prior to any contact being made.
How long will counseling take?
The number of sessions varies. Some problems can be dealt with in a few sessions while others may take longer. Longstanding difficulties or major life transitions rarely yield simplistic solutions. In the initial session or two, your counselor will gather information about you and the concerns you bring. Following this, the counselor will share findings with you and make recommendations about how to proceed.