What is Counselling?
Counselling is a proven, psychotherapeutic approach that helps individuals, couples, and families deal more effectively with life issues such as depression, stress, anxiety, self-esteem, relationships, loss, grief, sexuality, substance abuse, and addiction.
Counselling helps clients develop skills that enable them to feel more in control and more comfortable with themselves, others, and the challenging situations of life.
The Benefits of Counselling
Counselling offers clients the opportunity to explore relationships, behaviour, feelings, and thoughts that trouble them and cause difficulties in their lives.
Counselling provides support in crises or during difficult times.
Counselling leads to deeper personal insight and awareness, better ways of understanding and coping with problems, and improved relationships.
Counselling leads clients to improvements in health and wellbeing, increased self-confidence, vitality, productivity, and peace of mind.
The Counselling Process
Clients benefit most from counselling when they participate actively and openly. As counselling progresses, clients must choose to examine difficult topics and memories, to experience stronger than usual emotions, and to explore new and different behaviours.
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The counsellor assists clients in setting and reaching appropriate goals. In each session the counsellor reviews client progress in adapting new skills to his or her unique situation.
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Primary learning takes place in the actual counselling sessions. However, the most beneficial change for clients occurs between sessions as they practice and consolidate what they have learned in interactions with the world around them.
On Counselling
Counselling is an extremely personal service and, as such, benefits greatly from the “fit” between client and counsellor. McIsaac Counselling offers potential clients the opportunity to meet with the counsellor in advance to discuss general topics and approaches prior to beginning the real work of therapy.
Counselling at a Distance
Although counselling has traditionally been an in-person activity, changes to our world and technology have opened the process to new formats, such as telephone and online video or text. Distance counselling is as effective as in-person and offers the added benefits of flexibility and efficiency for those living in other parts of the country or with time-limiting schedules. At McIsaac Counselling, most therapy takes place via telephone due to its reliability and convenience.
Meaning Therapy
In counselling, there are many different theories, therapies, and treatments, some more appropriate than others depending on the client.
At McIsaac Counselling, the primary focus is on Meaning Therapy, which blends the realistic existentialism of Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy with the sensitivity and client respect of Carl Roger’s humanism.