The American Counseling Association gives the definition of counseling as a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education and career goals. So then, what is individual counseling exactly? Individual counseling consists of only two people the client and the clinician. The sole focus is the client, their situation, concerns, questions, and goals. The clinician becomes a partner to the client in hopes to help them through their current circumstances and reach their optimum well-being. Confidentiality is a key part of an individual session. Clinicians, administrators and office staff are all trained on confidentiality for all their clients. It is important that the client completely understands the privacy policy terms prior to counseling sessions, so that they are comfortable and secure.
When you are ready to take the step in choosing to partake in individual counseling sessions, the most important part is picking a provider that will meet your needs. Just as counseling is not a one-size-fits-all, picking a provider to counsel you is not a one-size-fits-all. Some clients will be more comfortable with the same gender, same age, some might prefer an older counselor or one right out of college. One thing to remember when taking this step, you must be open to share quite a bit of yourself with the counselor you do pick. The great thing is you don’t have to like the first one you choose! It is okay not to feel comfortable or even like your first pick. In choosing a provider it is helpful to start with a mental health agency that offers more than one counselor. It can become tiresome and defeating to search and find different counselors in different offices with different paperwork. No one really wants to have to rehash their history and current circumstances over and over again. Positive Connections Plus offers several clinicians to choose from. It will be a great sense of relief when the counselor that is helping guide your life is someone that you feel a connection and trust with.