What is Counselling? How does Counselling work?
Counselling is a process where a counsellor, using psychological tools and theories, facilitates mental, emotional, and behavioural changes on the person whom they are helping.
Counselling is helpful for the following situations:
Facilitate decision making: For career decisions, relationship and marriage decisions.
Manage unstable emotions: Learn to control your fears, anxieties, anger, and despair.
Facilitate adjustment: For effective grieving, trauma recovery, and major life changes.
Facilitate reframing and reinterpretation: To see things in a more constructive and helpful manner that will lead to efficiency and action rather than fear and hopelessness.
Increase of self-awareness: To identify blind spots, untapped assets, and even explore answers that the person refuses to see.
Overall, Counselling involves CHANGE within the person. We do not rely on environmental resources which are not reliable and are beyond one’s control. We CHANGE the person’s attitude, views, emotions, behaviours, habits, and when necessary, even their personalities in the aim of improving one’s quality of life.
Symptom elimination will occur. These symptoms are survival mechanisms put up to cope with one’s current situation and environment. The Symptoms will NOT disappear unless the root of the problem is cleared away. Symptoms will disappear permanently when the person changes from the inside out and his/her survival mechanisms are no longer needed.
Nothing in life will change unless something changes. Empowerment is taking charge of these changes rather than waiting for them to surprise us. Sadly, we cannot change the ones who don’t come for counselling.
What is Christian Counselling?
Methodically speaking, Christian Counselling is the application of Christian/Biblical concepts in combination with the conventional psychological theories to help facilitate change on an individual.
Christian Counselling is of course most effective with Christian clients who are going through psycho-spiritual trials, challenges, and crises.
Should I opt for Christian Counselling or just Counselling?
To make things simple, Christians who believe that their life and their current problems are intertwined with their beliefs and relationship with God, then Christian Counselling will work best for you.
However, if you prefer to approach your problem in a completely secular manner and you don’t want to talk about God/religion at all, then you will be most comfortable with professional (secular) Counselling. (You may refer to our code of ethics and our No Preaching Policy by clicking HERE)
How long does counselling take? What is the general flow of counselling?
A counselling relationship is expected to run for an average of 6 sessions.
Each session is normally spaced in one-week intervals to give the client time and opportunity to apply what they have learned from the previous lesson.
As meeting once a week may not be enough to facilitate real change (and meeting more than once a week may be costly); here in Grace Counselling Centre, we provide an inter-session E-mail support.
The contact between counsellor and the client doesn’t end with the physical sessions.
Counsellors in GCC keep in contact with the client between sessions through E-mail exchanges, support, and updates.
Can I stop my counselling sessions?
Your counsellor/therapist, being the informed professional, will lead the direction and the pace of the counselling sessions. However, you as the client, will have the final say on whether to proceed with the sessions or not. You, as the client, have the sole right to continue or discontinue the counselling sessions.
For more information regarding “termination”, please refer to this article link: How to exit a counselling relationship.
How much does counselling cost?
Grace Counselling Centre charges a standard fee of $150 per session.
A fee of $200 is charged for each session with our counselling psychologist, Kirby Chua.
GCC provides complimentary drinks and snacks for our valued clients.
Are there other professionals who can be of help to me?
Besides counselling, one can also consider the help of other professionals below:
- Police
- Lawyer
- Religious Ministers
- Medical Doctors and Other Health Specialists
- Social Workers
- Teachers
- Consultants