Counselling/ Disability Counselling
Counseling is talking therapy that involves a trained therapist (counselor) listening to and helping people find ways to deal with issues pertaining to different aspects of life. Sometimes the term “counseling” is used just for talking therapy, but counseling is also a type of therapy in its own right.
- Counselling can help people cope with:
- mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, panic disorders, postnatal depression or an eating disorder such as anorexia and bulimia
- physical health conditions and chronic illness which affect the quality of life, such as pain, obesity and infertility, fibromyalgia, migraine and insomnia (sleeplessness) and chronic fatigue syndrome
- social and behavioral and psychological problems like schizophrenia, hallucinations, delusion, obsessive compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder,
- upsetting life events, such as a bereavement (grief and loss), a relationship breakdown, domestic violence, work-related stress and financial stress
- difficult emotions such as low self-esteem or anger management
- problems within the relationship or provide mediation between partner to solve domestic and family issues
- habitual issue like smoking and drug and alcohol/ gambling addiction or any other substance abuse
- setting new goals in life and help gain clarity and direction
- other issues, such as sexual identity.
Counselling types and process
The Counselling Process?
The process of counselling is where individuals, couples or family members meet with a professional counsellor to confidentially discuss problems in their lives.
During the process of counselling, goals are be identified, and the strategies are developed toward achieving these goals. The goals can change or modifies depending upon the circumstances. Counselling is often client-centred, the goal is for the client to make the decision on the best course of action with the support of their therapist. The counsellor can however provides tools, techniques, suggestions and homework. Ultimately it is the client who needs to make the decision on what is best for themselves as a key part of the process.
- Relationship and Marriage Counselling
- Family Counselling
- Financial Counselling
- Rehabilitation Counselling for people with a disability, health condition, or social disadvantage
- School Counselling
- Vocational and Career Counselling
- Veterans Counselling (e.g., by Open Arms — Veterans and Families Counselling)
- Counselling for Older People
- Counselling for Children, Teenagers, and Young Adults (e.g., by Kids Helpline)
- Carers’ Counselling
- Trauma (under special conditions) Counselling
- Drug and Alcohol Counselling
- Rehabilitation Counselling
- Student and Youth Counselling
- Grief and Loss Counselling
- Disability Counselling
- Counselling for Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia, and other Mental Health Issues
Types of counselling may also come from the method or approach that the counsellor uses such as Behavioral, Cognitive, Systemic, Constructionist, Humanistic, Psychoanalytic, or Neuro-counselling.
Faith Based Denominational Counselling
Faith Based Denominational Counselling is a special type of counselling can be provided through a religious group such a Church or Mosque. It can include Christian Counselling, Muslim Counselling, Buddhist Counselling for example. It can centre around or support a person’s spirituality, faith, belief system and religion. The benefit of using a denominational counsellor and a counsellor of the same cultural background, is that it may help with rapport and a genuine understanding of the spiritual beliefs and religious practices and principles. Having the same belief and religious practices as those of the client, help counsellor device influential way to bring positive changes to their clients.
How counselling proceeds?
Counselling provides people the opportunity to share their views, be heard and gain new perspectives on their situation and experiences. It proceeds in a very safe and private space so that everyone can express themselves and their needs freely. Counselling can take place either face to face, in a group, over the phone, by email or online through live chat services. All these methods are equally effective. Some people benefit from a single session of counselling, while some need short course of sessions over a few weeks or months, or a longer course that lasts for several months or years depending upon the circumstances.
Disability Counselling
People with disability are often disadvantaged in the society. Living with a disability can have a significant effect on their mental health, especially when it comes to depression and anxiety or low self-esteem. The nature of their disability habitually makes them feel low and parted from the general public. With time, it can lead to a state of complete insecurity and feeling of inadequacy. According to the research, mental distress is five times more frequent in adults with disabilities than in those without any disability. Disabled people also experience increased barriers to treatment when seeking out health services. Some of these barriers come from things like physical or financial limitations, while others arise from things like ableism and stigma such as social and healthcare stigma, where healthcare professionals allow their personal beliefs about disabilities to influence the care that they provide to disabled people, hence affecting the quality of care. Also, for some disabled people, it can be a challenge to leave the house, especially if they don’t have access to transportation or accommodations. Even virtual care is not practical for a large majority of people with disability who don’t have the tools or skills necessary for it. Counselling therapy can help those having a disability better understand their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. Counselling can also help them how to recognise and change the relationship between those thoughts and feelings, and to improve overall mental and emotional health. Counselling therapy does more than just treating mental health conditions. It can also help build life managing skills, provide a space for self-expression, and improve overall quality of life, especially for people living with disabilities.
What is a counsellor?
A counsellor is a person who you talk to so they can help you overcome difficulties in your life. Counsellors are a type of mental health professional. Counsellors help solve problems and develop problem-solving skills by helping the individuals clarify issues and explore your options.
Counsellors work with individuals, couples, families and groups. Some counselling sessions are done one-on-one and some may be done in groups, or with other family members. It depends on the reason for the counselling and the therapy best suited to the situation. Counsellors ask questions and listen to the issues in a non-judgmental, safe and confidential way. The person seeking counselling will be an active participant in the sessions.
The counsellors will draw on tools and techniques from their training and should provide understanding and empathy to their client, while their client works out how to move through the issues that they have brought to counselling.
Counsellors don’t diagnose issues, but they work with you to improve your mental health, help you understand yourself better and help you develop strategies and work towards goals. Counselling can help you gain new insight into situations and can improve your resilience. Some counsellors provide cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT).
Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy (talking therapy) based on the idea that how you think and act affects how you feel. It can help in many different situations — with both mental and physical health problems.
At Affection Disability care, we have an experience team of counsellor from different health background and years of experience working with individuals, youngsters, adults and families with a wide range of issues including disabilities. We use non-judgmental, and caring approach that could enable you deal with personal issues and struggle and help you to reach your goals. Â
If you are unsure about how the world sees you, unable to trust, have a feeling of being never good enough, facing low self-esteem, losing confidence, struggling with personal issues; having anxiety, feeling stuck, unable to adjust to changes or any type of transitions; having relationship issues or loss of a loved one or want to improve your mental health, then do not hesitate to contact us. Our counsellor can help you solve all these issues and make your life as easy going as possible.
If you are having any type of disability, our individualised and specifically tailored NDIS Support Counselling can help you gain better understanding of yourself and your needs to help you develop your goals and work towards achieving your goals. Our therapist can also help you strengthen your feelings and thought processes, and help find solutions to your problems. Our counsellors are trained to understand the complexity you face with a disability. They can also help you tie fully in social and relationship goals.
We are approved to work with clients under NDIS item number 15_043_0128_1_3.
At your appointment, you’ll be encouraged to talk about your feelings and emotions with a trained therapist, who’ll listen and support you without judging or criticising.
Let us assure you that we will keep most of the things you tell them confidential. There are some exceptions, such as where you or another person is thought to be at risk of harm.