“How is visiting a counselor any different from talking to a close friend?” you might question as you consider seeing a counselor. That’s a fantastic question. It’s frequently quite beneficial to talk to a close buddy about whatever is going on in your life. They are already familiar with you and are likely to be able to provide useful advice and assistance. Healthy support is both beneficial and necessary. Seeing a counselor, on the other hand, offers its own set of advantages.
In general, most individuals don’t go to a therapist with concerns they’d feel comfortable discussing with their friends. They usually appear when recurrent patterns appear to be doing more damage than good, or when a traumatic event happens that causes specific things to happen. Others have a more vague but pervasive sense that something is wrong and that they are prepared to deal with it. Friendships and goodwill from others who care about us are frequently insufficient to address these issues. Professional assistance is distinct in that it takes a systematic approach to examine the problem.
Theoretical ‘frames’ are held by therapists.
Many people seek counseling because their life tactics no longer appear to be working, and in other cases, they have become self-destructive. What distinguishes a therapist from a friend is that a professional therapist has a coherent theoretical ‘frame’ through which to examine these patterns, which a friend cannot provide.
This ‘frame’ provides a professionally trained therapist with the tools to safely explore the feelings, ideas, and even fantasies that underpin these patterns, as well as the framework to work toward a transformation objective.
The cornerstone of treatment is establishing boundaries.
A non-sexual and non-friendship form of closeness develops between the client and the therapist in treatment, and research suggests that this connection or alliance is the most important component in therapeutic effectiveness.
To establish a climate of safety, trust, and mutual respect, very defined boundaries must be established, allowing for a close connection while remaining inside rigid bounds. These boundaries guarantee that the task is done in a consistent, dependable, and predictable manner.
A therapist’s primary concerns are patient safety and legal considerations.
A therapeutic relationship, unlike a friendship, involves duties on the side of the therapist, such as guaranteeing the patient’s safety. This includes concerns such as doing a systematic evaluation of a client’s suicide risk, determining whether domestic abuse exists, and identifying children at risk in a relationship, among other things.
Confidentiality is a moral concern.
All professional therapists follow their individual professional associations’ rules of professional conduct, which include ethical duties such as maintaining a client’s full confidentiality within legal limitations.
The conversation is solely oriented in one way.
Because the client, not the therapist, is the center of therapeutic interaction, it is the therapist’s responsibility to ensure that the work does not devolve into a reciprocal exchange of discourse in which the therapist’s personal life is brought into the work.
During difficult times, a good friend will be caring and supportive. A competent therapist will be self-assured, empathetic, and perceptive. It’s a win-win situation to have both of these folks in your life.