Friday, November 4, 2011

Mend Your Relationship With Good Counseling

By Chris Williams


When you are sure your situation needs relationship counseling the next important thing to do is to find the very best counselor you can.

Depending on your particular situation you can find the right counselor for your relationship issues in a number of different ways.

The easiest way is to get someone you know and trust to recommend someone to you. This way you can hear how the counselor has been able to help someone. This only works if someone you know has been to relationship counseling, you don't want second hand testimonies.

If a personal recommendation is not an option for you then the first thing to look for are counselors credentials. Counselors can have different qualifications and you need to understand what they mean.

The highest academically qualified counselors are ones with degrees called PH.D or Psy.D . These people will have attended a college and graduated after studying for 5 years. After they got their degree they still have had to work for 3,000 hours under the supervision of an experienced psychologist.

Another qualification is a M.A or M.S in counseling. Often called family or marriage Therapists these people will have gained their degree after two years of study and been supervised for at least 1500 hours.

Another qualification you may find is a M.S.W. Counselors with a Master Of social Work may be working as part of an institution or counseling individuals.

When checking for qualifications make sure you know that it is a recognized qualification from a reputable college that they hold.

You also need to know how much the counseling is likely to cost you. Check to see if your insurance will pay. You will find some policies will cover counseling. The most expensive are usually the PH.D's and Psy.D with the others being less expensive.

When you are happy with their qualifications it is wise to try and meet the counselor before agreeing to any contracts.

A good counselor should offer you either a free short, or small cost meeting, so you can get to know them and make an informed decision as to whether they a good match for you needs.

You won't succeed with any relationship counseling unless you feel you can relate with the personality of the counselor. You need to feel relaxed and confident with them.

It's a good idea to write down some questions before you meet them. It's a good idea to ask what their terms of any contract are? Do you pay for individual sessions or a minimum number at a time? Can you change the contract at any time? Can you ring them if you need urgent advice or help in between sessions? If you can't make a booked session can you postpone it without a payment penalty?

Don't expect the counselor to do all the work. You won't get success just by going to counseling sessions. You will have to listen to their advice and work at their recommendations. Their sole goal for relationship counseling should be to help you save your relationship and work with you until you do.




About the Author:



No comments: