What is counseling or psychotherapy?

It consists of conversation between a counselor or psychotherapist and a person, couple, or family who want assistance in understanding and managing their lives, feelings and/or behavior. They are not similar in the meaning.rnCounseling is meant to assist people with problems of daily life where the counselor will help the person understand what is happening in his/her life and offer advice about changes in behavior or other approaches. While Psychotherapy is to assist people in understanding and mastering their own thoughts and feelings. The therapist helps his clients to stimulate their own reflection.rnThere are forms of therapy, such as ‘cognitive-behavioral therapy,' ‘psychoanalytic or psycho dynamic therapy,' ‘interpersonal therapy,' and others. rnBoth counselors and therapists use the relationship they build with you as part of the therapeutic process. They emphasize it as the major healing process. rnWith teen-agers, the assistance of a professional mental health practitioner is needed because most adolescents display a broad range of symptoms that could indicate a need for professional help but often don't. For example: Academic decline may need to be addressed, but does not in itself mean that the teen is in need of mental health professionals services.rnI suggest acquiring for help when one notices any disturbing behavior that persists over a long period of time. rnExamples: • Alcohol and drug abuse use that exceeds occasional experimentation and is interfering with the teenager's lifern• Chronic and unremitting decline in academics • Frequent truancy repeated • Total isolation from peers • Very bad self-esteem over a long period of time • Repeated outright defiance of rules and limits • Any other disturbing behavior that persists over a long period of time or any behavior that seems acutely threatening, even if it only occurs once • Even a one-time verbal reference to wanting to hurt or kill herself/himself that feels sincerely meant • Any gesture to seriously physically hurt/kill self or others rnYou can get help from social workers, counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, and psychoanalysts. Counselors and therapists usually are trained social workers, psychologists, marriage & family therapists, or certified counselors. Psychiatrists are MD's specifically trained in diagnosis and medical treatment of mental disorders, such as depression, phobias, compulsive disorders, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder (manic-depression), schizophrenia, etc. Some psychiatrists have also been trained in psychotherapy; many more-recently-trained psychiatrists specialize in medication and do little psychotherapy while Psychoanalysts are experts in psychotherapy. How will you choose a mental health professional?rnThe foremost thing is to look for a link between you and your counselor. The following things should be kept in mind while taking yourself to a practitioner • Does this practitioner listen to you and give you attention. • Do you have a feeling that you may be able to develop trust with this person? rnTo choose between a counselor/therapist or a psychiatrist or a psychoanalyst you must go through this suggestionrnIf you or the adolescent you are concerned about are experiencing mild to moderate problems in daily living or are having mild to moderate trouble with disturbing feeling states like being depressed, sad, lonely, anxious, afraid, confused you should first check out physical health. They may contribute to mental or emotional discomfort. Assuming that you are physically healthy, then you may appropriately seek a counselor or therapist for advice about what you can do to improve. If you or the adolescent is experiencing severe problems you may start with a social worker, counselor, or psychologist. rnWe should keep a few facts in mind like adolescence is a time of change. As a parent you may find yourself wondering if this is normal. They want to experience independence through experimentation. So some parts of the brain that house logical thinking and memory are not fully formed and can lead to lapses of judgment. Family involvement is the primary step towards a teen’s holistic upbringing.