When Counseling Fails…

In my line of work, I have met many people who describe experiences of counseling that were not productive or helpful and that left the person thinking that counseling was a waste of time.

Whether it is an individual, couple, or a parent bringing a child, some people leave with a bad experience that makes them want to write off the entire counseling field as unhelpful.

I am not writing this to criticize those experiences or to place blame on people who were seeking help and found none. Counseling is a field full of diverse counselors that do not always hit the mark when people come to them seeking healing and guidance.

We as counselors can have very different approaches to helping people and some are not the right fit for the person seeking help. It is worth mentioning as well that we are human and can have bad days where we feel burnt out, tired, or overwhelmed, which inevitably impacts our ability to be working at 100%. When people have had this experience, I often encourage them to give counseling another try.

Finding the right counselor can be difficult, but it is possible. If you have a bad experience with a counselor, you have several options. You can give them a little bit more time, ask the counselor for a referral, or keep looking on your own for a different counselor.

Websites like psychologytoday.com and catholictherapists.com can give you an idea of the counselor’s approach to see if they are the right fit for you. Counseling can open many doors to healing and greater wellbeing.

It is important to not let one bad experience prevent you from gaining all that counseling has to offer.