Counseling can sound scary for people who have never done it before. And since you are here, I can totally understand what you are feeling. With school/college and your life-changing 360-degrees, it can seem pretty scary.
But don’t worry, you will be fine. How do I know? Because here are some benefits associated with regular counseling:
1. Clarifying a problem
The most obvious benefit a student can get from counseling is solving problems lingering in their head. It can be related to their academic performance or something in their personal life that is affecting their career.
Now, if you are thinking to go ahead with the therapy you need to understand two things.
Firstly, you should be able to open yourself up and be clear to the counselor about the problem you are facing, because when you continue delaying your openness, you will take a longer time to overcome your problem.
Secondly, counselors can only tell you the way to overcome your problems. It’s you who has to actually work on them. So, when they come up with solutions, make sure you take a deep breath and start following the new course of your life.
2. Managing depression
Recently a survey done on college students reported that 41% of them had symptoms of depression among which 22% showed severe signs of depression
There are a lot of factors that can contribute towards it that are not directly related to academics such as broken friendships from high school or separation from parents, adulting, loneliness, financial problems, or going abroad to study and managing everything on their own.
The counselor understands this, they know everything in your life cannot be related to your career which is why they also help you deal with other aspects of your life. Through a counselor, you would be able to find a healthy way to beat depression and come out stronger.
3. Exploring opportunities
One of the major reasons for depression among students is the lack of awareness of opportunities in the professional world.
When a lot of students are not able to keep up with the pressure of being the perfect student and don’t know about the different options they have, they fall prey to bare minimum jobs or drop out.
This is where the role of a counselor comes to play. Since they are well aware of opportunities that are available in every industry, they help students find their passion and land the right job.
Not only that, but they also educate the students on how to move ahead in that specific career so that they keep growing.
4. Developing confidence
When students confide in someone at this phase of their life and are introduced to different unexplored opportunities, they start gaining confidence.
This confidence can be in the form of better academic performance or a better individual as a whole – anything that helps them emerge as a winner in the race of life.
5. Coping with stress
Stress and depression are two different things, but it does not mean being tressed 24*7 is alright. It isn’t. Learning is supposed to be fun, not stressful.
If an adult is taken to a counselor at the early stages when they start showing symptoms of stress, the time taken to heal will be much less than otherwise.
6. Improving personal skills
Apart from academics, there are a lot of personal skills a student needs to give a head-start to their career.
A lot of times these short courses on communication, leadership, time management, operations can be overwhelming. And if you don’t have the right approach, it’s honestly of no use.
A counselor will make sure you learn all the personal skills necessary for your career and social life in the right way.
7. Getting a healthy work-life balance
These days students have a lot going on their plate than what they are given credit for. They have to attend school, join a club, learn an instrument, volunteer for social work, play sports among other activities.
Some start working full-time when they are in high school or college. These can lead to an unhealthy work-life balance.
With good counseling, you can learn coping skills and time management through which you will not tire yourself out and achieve a healthy work-life balance.
I hope these benefits were enough to convince you to go to a counselor. So, what are you waiting for?
