Clinical Mental Health Counseling: What is it?
Are you interested in seeking therapy but unsure what it is or what to expect? Then this is the place for you! Clinical mental health counseling is a professional service that helps individuals improve their mental health and well being. Counselors and therapists are licensed professionals who provide counseling services to individuals, couples, groups, and families who are experiencing mental, emotional, and behavioral problems.
The goal of clinical mental health counseling is to help clients overcome their problems and lead happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives. Counselors and therapists use a variety of evidence-based techniques and approaches. These techniques help clients manage their symptoms and improve their overall functioning.
Education and Role
At Barnum Counseling, we require each therapist to have their Master’s degree to be employed. Each therapist or counselor on staff has completed both their undergraduate Baccalaureate degree and Master’s degree program in a counseling-related field. Once graduated, some therapists are required to take a licensing exam to receive their Illinois license. Others get their license after graduation. In the first few years of being a licensed therapist, a more experienced, licensed therapist must supervise. This means meeting weekly to consult on cases and for additional guidance in the field.
There are many roles that a mental health counselor and therapist perform. They actively listen, show empathy, and are non-judgmental toward their clients. They are responsible for assessing client’s concerns and developing unique and individualized treatment plans for each one. From there, therapists are in charge of appropriately diagnosing their clients.
In sessions, a therapist provides psychoeducation to help clients better understand their challenges, diagnoses, and develop effective coping strategies. Therapists and counselors collaborate with other professionals to provide the best care possible to their clients. Lastly, it is the role of a therapist or counselor to advocate for their clients to ensure they receive appropriate care and support.
How long?
Therapy sessions can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 60 minutes. Depending on what you bring to your therapist or counselor, a client can have sessions scheduled weekly, bi-weekly, once a month, or as needed. It is important to communicate with your therapist what your expectations are for length and quantity of sessions. However, please remember the therapist or counselor is the professional and will also recommend what they think is best for your treatment.
This also includes how many months to plan to be in therapy, which can also depend on the presenting concern. Someone entering counseling should consider being in counseling for about six months to a year, if not longer. Some goals can be met in less than six months. Other goals might change, or new goals might be developed, which keep a client in therapy longer. There is no right or wrong answer for a “correct” length of time in therapy.
Review
Each therapist and counselor goes through years of education to learn the best way to challenge you, listen to you, and educate you to live the best life possible. Therapists and counselors will not only work with you, but will work with supervisors and other professionals to increase their knowledge and provide the best treatment possible. Therapy has no right or wrong way of being conducted. Sessions have various lengths and various amounts of sessions depending on your goals, challenges, and life situations. Communication about your expectations with your therapist or counselor and listening to their recommendations are important for everyone to be on the same page and understand the treatment plan.
About Therapist Bethany Winter, MA, LPC Barnum Counseling
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Winslow, K. (2022, September 20). How long should I plan to be in therapy? How Long Should I Plan to Be In Therapy? Retrieved May 5, 2023, from https://mywellbeing.com/therapy-101/howlongtobeintherapy#:~:text=Many%20people%20will%20want%20to,6%20months%20to%201%20year
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