“I wish there was someone I could talk to about what I’m going through, someone that’s not going to judge me or label me!"- Understanding the differences between Medical & Non-Medical Counseling.

“I wish there was someone I could talk to about what I’m going through, someone that’s not going to judge me or label me! I feel so alone”.

There have been so many times I’ve heard people say that they don’t need counseling and that they just need to be heard-

Sound familiar?

First and foremost, I believe in the importance of understanding what you’re getting yourself into when you choose or don’t choose to start your counseling journey!

Understanding what counseling is, so that you can make an informed decision is empowering.

Counseling comes in many forms. Two of the forms that I believe will be most helpful to break down, are Medical and Non-Medical counseling; and there is NOTHING Wrong with wanting or needing to use either.

Non-Medical Counseling is an opportunity to work through many life stressors such as: 

·       Learning healthy forms of stress management

·       Learning new life skills

·       Understanding interpersonal relationships

·       Grief counseling

·       Marriage counseling/skills

·       Learning how to adjust through life transitions

·       Parenting skills

·       Conflict management

 Sometimes you may find yourself in a situation that is unfamiliar and finding people you can trust, or you can reach out to for insight, support, guidance, and education may not be an option for you. Reaching out to a counselor and explaining what you believe you need help or support for is helpful. It doesn’t have to be long-term. In fact, that is a great question to have with your counselor, “Now that we’ve spoken about what I think I need, do you have any idea, how many sessions I may need to have before I can start seeing relief?” Your counselor will not be able to give you a concrete answer, but it lets them know that you’re interested in something brief and solution focused. Every counselor has their own style of counseling and different areas of focus. It’s expected that they can answer this question based on treatment needs. They may even be able to describe, based on their experience, how early have some clients reported experiencing relief based on similar needs. However, every person is a unique individual and life still happens as you go through therapy. Therefore, progress cannot truly be dictated; It’s based on your level of commitment, your follow through with exercises, life interruptions, and daily tasks. If you feel that progress is not being made- I encourage you to have that conversation with your counselor. Give them a chance to help you explore what progress has been made. You might discover that your expectations are skewed and that you have progressed! The goal here is to make sure you’re seeking support in the way that you need before these difficulties become a higher level of care need.

Medical Counseling is an opportunity to work through difficulties resulting from higher level of care needs, such as:

·       Learning how to live with a diagnosis

·       Learning how to identify symptoms of diagnosis

·       Learning skills that help you cope through diagnosis

·       Agreeing to participate in an evidenced-based treatment protocol to treat diagnosis

·       Learning skills to manage medication

·       Learning how to process and heal from trauma

Difficulties associated with medical counseling can cause impaired judgement, psychological disorders, and may require a referral for a psychiatrist. However, not all medical counseling needs require support from a psychiatrist. Many people experiencing these difficulties have been shown to find relief from evidenced-based treatment protocols- which is not medication! Some people benefit from a combination of treatment protocols and psychotropic medications.

Nevertheless, understanding the differences between medical and non-medical counseling is helpful when you’re trying to determine if therapy is right for you.