Counselling and therapy are considered to be very effective to treat and managing a range of mental health issues. Although, counselling is just not for people suffering from severe mental health issues. It is also useful for people who are concerned about their mental health or need general improvement in their lives through systematic guidance from an expert professional.

That being said, counselling can be very important for a person’s optimum mental health and well-being. Mental health counselling can help a person understand their treatment options and help better manage a variety of mental health conditions like depression, eating disorders, sleep disorders, anxiety and other issues.

What Is Counselling And How Does It Help A Person’s Mental Health?

It is an accepted fact that mental health awareness has considerably risen all across the globe. Mental health and awareness has become a topic of discussion and has gotten quite some attention from experts, researchers, global media as well as the common people.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is the state of well being where a person can recognise their full potential. The person must be able to work productively while contributing to the community and handling and coping with the ups and downs of life. And, for a person to function productively in various aspects of life, both physical and mental health is of prime importance.

Even with rising awareness, mental health is still often taken for granted, especially in the case of children, teenagers and young adults. This is where mental health counselling comes in. Counselling is just like going on a diet or going to the gym. While the latter two are done by people to stay fit and maintain physical health and well-being, counselling does the same to your mental health.

Mental health is more than just being free of any mental disorders or illnesses and that is exactly why people concerned with mental health must opt for counselling. Counselling is where a mental health expert sits with you for sessions figuring out your underlying mental issues and everything else associated with mental health. Along with that, they help you better know yourself and make wiser and more fruitful decisions in your life.

In literal terms, counselling is a specific mental health discipline that involves different aspects of guidance and psychotherapy. Counselling focuses on a specific wellness model that helps an individual or a community to improve the quality of their lives. It is a process that involves both the counsellor and patient working in collaboration with each other to achieve the desired results.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2018 stated that one in five American adults shows symptoms of a mental health condition. Not just that, research also suggests that these conditions can be effectively treated. Counselling does not only help in treating the mental health conditions of an individual. It can also help organizations, groups and society to achieve mental wellbeing.

The Raging Issue Of Mental Health Amongst Children And Teenagers

While we are discussing the importance of counselling, we will also get to a list of scientifically researched benefits of counselling. But before that, a more burning issue is the concern of mental health of children and teenagers. Mental health concerns are prevalent amongst school and college-goers and this issue has been widely discussed all across the globe.

Mental health concerns amongst children and students have led to a lot of different schools, educational institutions as well as the government and NGOs taking steps toward mental health and well-being. Anxiety and depression as well as mood swings, eating disorders and a range of other mental health issues have been commonly noticed among children.

Under such circumstances, educational institutions, as well as the parents and families of school students, must take initiative to make sure that such issues are addressed properly and promptly. A lot of schools have also come up with different kinds of collaborative initiatives in association with major global brands and other organisations associated with the field of mental health and wellness.

Counselling can be effective for students who are suffering from a range of mental health issues as well as behavioural disorders. A trained and professional counsellor or therapist helps in diagnosing mental health issues and helps in managing and treating such conditions. They help people of all ages including children, teens and young adults to recover from different kinds of mental ailments through an essential and effective system.

Now, it is an agreeable fact that a majority of a child’s active hours are spent in schools. This is why schools must play an active role in raising mental health awareness and improving the mental health condition of their students. A lot of schools are taking the help of community partners and third-party organisations to hold different kinds of mental health events including counselling sessions, panel discussions, awareness programs for families, etc.

Such initiatives can help students to a great extent as mental health issues during the young teenage phase or adolescent age is pretty common. It can help in the all-round development of a child and will lead to their mental and emotional growth. Paying attention to the mental health and well-being of a child is essential and is key to a successful career and a great life ahead of them.

The Benefits of Counselling For Mental Health

 There are numerous benefits of counselling. While these benefits are very common knowledge, even then, a lot of people often wonder why they may need counselling. This is when it must be said that the primary reason to seek counselling is to improve mental health and ensure the well-being of an individual or a group of people. But the benefits of counselling go beyond treating mental illnesses. There are numerous other advantages of mental health counselling. 

To begin with, counselling can help improve mood while being effective to treat and managing a wide range of mental illnesses including anxiety, depression, insomnia and a lot more. Not just that, counselling has great therapeutic value and is an alternative treatment procedure for a range of conditions. It helps reduce medical costs while improving communication and relationships. Counselling helps people get a different perspective and promote self-esteem and resilience.

People seek counselling for a variety of reasons and counselling has been proven to be a great solution against several issues that a person may be facing with their mental health or in their lives. Let us now take a look at the various benefits of counselling for mental health and well-being.

Treating Mental Disorders and Mood Improvement

Counselling is a scientifically proven method of treating a range of mental disorders and improving mood. Counselling is effective for different kinds of mental conditions which include three major types of depression, three types of anxiety and other conditions like OCD, mood swings, eating disorders, behavioural disorders and a lot more. The key types of depression that can be treated through therapy are:

• Major depressive disorder
• Seasonal affective disorder
• Dysthymia

Three types of anxiety that can be treated through therapy are:

• Generalized anxiety
• Social anxiety
• Phobias

Counselling Can Help People Educate Themselves

Psychoeducation is the process that involves explaining mental health conditions, diagnoses, services, as well as the different treatment options available. A lot of people who come to counselling know they are suffering but do not understand why. Not only does psychotherapy help them understand the causes but also help them educate themselves about specific conditions and how certain techniques can address such problems.

It helps in normalizing mental health problems, while also decreasing the stigma around such conditions. It also helps in increasing compliance with different kinds of treatment plans.

Achieve Better Balance In Life

Counselling and therapy are all about achieving a successful and healthy life with a better perspective towards different issues of life. Such therapies prepare an individual to better cope with the different challenges of life while opening up opportunities for self-improvement to achieve a more balanced life.

Help people build certain personal qualities

With counselling and the help of the right mental exercises under the supervision of a trained and certified mental health professional, people can build the following qualities in themselves.

• Resilience
• Self-esteem
• healthy coping mechanisms
• Self-efficacy
• Optimism
• Cognitive flexibility

Counselling helps find meaning or objective in life which helps a person in the short and long run. People must take the help of a trained professional when they are not able to overcome certain difficulties or challenges in life.

Final Thoughts

Psychotherapy is essential to a person’s mental health and well-being. Counselling is the first and primary step to take to treat conditions like depression, anxiety and other mental disorders. Not just that, it helps in overall mental well-being and a person’s growth through a renewed perspective towards life. The above points have made it clear how counselling can be effective for a healthy lifestyle and sustainable mental health of a person.