What are the contents of psychological consultation?

Most people have misunderstandings about the content of psychological counseling. They either think that only "psychological patients" diagnosed with depression or anxiety need to see a counselor, or they think that they are just paying to talk to strangers to vent their sorrows. In fact, its services cover almost all psychological-related problems at all stages of a person's life, ranging from the entanglement of choosing a major and finding a job, to the psychological reconstruction after bereavement and major illness, all fall within the scope of psychological counseling services.

Nearly 60% of the cases our studio receives on a daily basis are not what people think of as "patients." The high school sophomore girl who came last week is a typical example. Her grades in cultural classes were not good, and she wanted to take the art exam, but her parents felt that there was no future in studying art. The two sides struggled for more than two months. She hid in the quilt every day and cried, and could not concentrate in class. She was not only afraid of regretting herself after taking the art exam, but also afraid that she would not be able to get into a good university after taking the art exam. She couldn't afford her parents, so she came for four consultations. She slowly sorted out whether her love for art was a whim or she was really willing to pay for it. She also had an in-depth communication with her parents. In the end, both sides took a step back. She will first participate in a half-year training camp. If her mock test scores are enough to meet the requirements of the target college, she will continue to take the art exam, otherwise she will be transferred back to the ordinary college entrance examination class. Now the little girl is in very good condition. Last week, she even sent me a sketch of her new painting. You see, this kind of confusion over choices and emotional internal friction on the way to growth is one of the most common contents of consultation. In the industry, it is called developmental consultation. To put it bluntly, it means that you are stuck on the road of life. Find a professional to help you clarify your thoughts and relieve unnecessary psychological burdens. There is no need to have the burden of "I can't come if I am not sick".

Of course, there are also many visitors who have already developed clear symptoms and have even gone to a psychiatrist to be diagnosed with related disorders. The Internet product manager I met a few months ago suffered from insomnia for three consecutive months and could not eat. He even skipped the skateboarding club that he used to go to every week. He went to the hospital to check that there was nothing wrong with his body. Finally, he went to the psychiatrist and was diagnosed with moderate depression. The doctor prescribed medicine and specifically asked him to undergo psychological consultation at the same time. I would like to say something objective here. For diagnosed mental disorders, psychological counseling can never replace drug treatment. There are indeed a few non-standard practitioners in the industry who will trick the client into stopping medication and only seeking consultation. This is a serious violation of professional ethics. Regular counselors will require the client to strictly follow the doctor's instructions and take medication. Our job is more to help him adjust his distorted cognition, relieve the backlog of emotions, find the psychological triggers of the disease, slowly establish a healthy emotional regulation mechanism, and help him return to a normal life more quickly.

In addition, psychological counseling after sudden stress events is also a very important part of psychological counseling. Last year, I participated in a group counseling in the community. An old man in the community died suddenly of a myocardial infarction. Several elderly people in the same unit were stimulated and could not sleep for a week or two. They were always worried that something would happen to them. We went to group counseling three times, accompanied them to talk about their fear of death, and taught a few simple emotional relaxation techniques. The elderly people quickly calmed down. There are also people who have encountered emergencies such as car accidents, fires, domestic violence, and layoffs. If they have emotional reactions that they cannot regulate on their own, they can also seek intervention from a counselor to avoid developing more severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

Nowadays, the evaluation of psychological counseling on the Internet is polarized. Some people say that "it's just useless to spend money to chat with someone." Others boast that psychological counseling is magical and can solve all problems. In fact, both of these views are quite extreme. The content boundaries of psychological counseling are actually very flexible, and the core is actually "helping you" "Resolve the psychological distress that you can't solve by yourself." Whether it's trivial emotional distress or psychological symptoms that have affected your normal life, as long as you feel uncomfortable and can't adjust yourself, you can talk to a regular counselor. There is no need to get stuck on the threshold of "Am I sick?"