THE COUNSELING PROCESS

Counseling is a process whose purpose is to help you as an individual deal most successfully with your concerns, come to a greater understanding of yourself, and in turn lead a more satisfying life.

It involves a relationship between you and a professionally trained person who has the desire and willingness to help you with your concerns, a person who will listen objectively and nonjudgmentally and help you explore those issues of importance to you.

It may focus on a specific concern you have such as choosing your major, managing your time, or building self-confidence. The issue may be interpersonal in nature and involve your relationship with a boyfriend, girlfriend, family member or teacher.

Or it may not involve a specific problem as such but rather, focus on your overall sense of well being and become a means by which you can gain greater knowledge and acceptance of yourself and enhance your growth as a person.

Your counselor will not tell you what to do, however. Rather, he or she will work with you to help you achieve the goals that are important to you. Your counselor will assist you, support you, and help you "sort out" and assess all aspects of your concerns, but he or she will not solve a problem or make a decision for you.

Depending on what you want to accomplish, your counselor may suggest some activities which will be helpful to you. For example, you may be asked to roleplay a situation (acting out a job interview or discussion with a family member or professor) or to do some "homework," such as a pro/con list related to a dilemma you are having. Of course, these are voluntary activities, and you should ask your counselor about anything that you do not understand.

You will benefit most from counseling if you can be open and honest about yourself. This means being willing to talk about your thoughts and feelings. Your counselor will not pass judgment, but will seek to understand your point of view.

If you and your counselor decide that this counseling service does not have the resources to help you with your concerns, your counselor will make every effort to help you contact another person or agency that can better meet your needs.

Everything that you discuss with your counselor and any test results will be held in strictest confidence. If at any time during the course of your counseling you have questions, don't hesitate to ask your counselor.

Regardless of which direction it takes, however, counseling is a process designed to assist and support your efforts to find the most effective ways for you to live, interact, and grow as a person.