Counseling can help with stress, addiction, emotions, behaviors, and mental issues. Counseling can start the process of habit cessation which means ways to end habit behavior. Counseling can help create a healthier outlook on life. The purpose of counseling is to help work out issues to make life more satisfying. Counseling can come from many forms such as exercise, positive thinking, individual or family counseling.
Exercise is a very impactful counseling technique. Exercise can help with mental and emotional stress for a positive outlook on life. Studies have shown that a physically active schedule can help stop addictive behavior. Addiction means to be committed to repeating a particular thing, such as smoking, and in this case, negative thinking.
According to the research of Lawrence Robinson and “et al;” “Exercise promotes all kinds of changes in the brain, including neural growth, reduced inflammation, and new activity patterns that promote feeling of calm and well-being” ( Robinson, “et al”). Exercise can be used as counseling because it can take your mind off of feeling depressed and stressed. Because emotional issues cause stress, it can make the body tense. Exercise can help by releasing tension from muscles, enabling the body to feel relaxed. (Robinson, “et al”).
Positive Thinking can be a very simple counseling technique. Positive thinking can help stop stress because being negative makes the mind worry. Being positive doesn’t mean to forget or disregard life’s challenging circumstances, it means you accept life’s challenges with a more relaxed attitude. Positive Thinking is considered a counseling technique because it helps get rid of issues for a healthier mental look of life. Positive Thinking, “can increase life span, lower depression rates, lower levels of distress, have better physiological and physical well-being, and better cardiovascular health”(Mayo clinic Staff). Thinking Positive relieves stress so the mind can be clear and free from depression or mental issues. (Mayo clinic Staff).
Family Counseling comes in many different techniques. Milan Family Counseling is a technique that focuses on the different beliefs held by one of its members (or the whole family) that creates conflict. The purpose of this counseling is to bring the beliefs that are making the conflict to the surface and work through it. As the family goes through counseling, the belief (or expectation) that is creating conflict will become less powerful. Structural Family Counseling is a technique that focuses on giving each family member a voice.
This technique examines each family member’s roles and power within the family. This makes the family learn to respect and appreciate each other. Strategic Therapy is a technique that is very direct. This technique watches the way the family reacts with each other when fights occur. Each family member is given instruction to improve how they react with each other.
Usually this technique is used for families that have one or more people in the family with greater challenges like disorders or mental issues. This technique helps all family members communicate better . Narrative Therapy is recognizing the individual’s unique and amazing qualities, so the person can build confidence to work out problems in the family. These techniques are very impactful for families because the members learn to figure out conflicts and appreciate each other. (5 Family Therapy Counseling Techniques).
Individual Counseling focuses on an individual’s mental health state and development. Individual counseling can be called psychotherapy or talk therapy. In Individual Therapy, there are many different techniques, one main technique is Cognitive Behavior Therapy. This counseling works with a person’s emotions and behaviors. The technique is to, “replace negative thinking patterns with positive ones” (Individual Therapy). The belief behind CBT is that healthy thoughts often promote positive feelings and productive actions” (Individual Therapy).
Another Individual Counseling technique is Dialectical Behavior therapy (DBT), which focuses on stress, relationships, and emotions. This treatment tends to help people who didn’t have success with other therapy. The word Dialectal means working through opposite (or different) forces. DBT focuses on long term or serious mental health issues like eating and food issues, self harm, addictions, post-traumatic stress, and behaviors. There are four stages (or steps). Stage one’s aim is to help the patient gain control of crisis behaviors. The second target is to help a person show emotions and pain that they feel under the surface, rather than hiding them.
The third stages intent is to bring balance and joy. Finally the fourth stage is to gain fulfillment and achieve goals. DBT has been proven to work, “ A study conducted by Linehan et al. (2006) suggests DBT may be effective in reducing suicide attempts. This study reported those who received DBT were half as likely to attempt suicide”(Good Therapy-Dialectical therapy). In conclusion Individual counseling can be helpful to grow an individual.(Good Therapy-Dialectical therapy).
Exercise, positive thinking, individual, and family counseling are all different forms of counseling. Exercise can help get a person out of depression, addiction, help with emotions, neural growth and have a healthier look on life. Exercise can help get a person get involved with a healthier schedule so they can live a more successful life. Positive thinking is very effective for the emotional health of the body which can create a healthier physical body. Individual counseling can help an individual prosper in life. Family counseling techniques come in many forms but all techniques are trying to empower and improve the family’s emotions and behaviors towards each other. In conclusion, counseling is the focus to the improve reactions, emotions, and behaviors towards people and life.
Work Cited
- “Find Your Degree!” Self-Harm_fb, Top Counseling Schools, 2018, www.topcounselingschools.org/lists/5-family-therapy-counseling-techniques/.
- “GoodTherapy.org.” GoodTherapy.org – Find the Right Therapist, GoodTherapy.org Therapy Blog, www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/dialectical-behavioral-therapy.
- “Individual Therapy (Psychotherapy).” GoodTherapy.org – Find the Right Therapist, GoodTherapy.org Therapy Blog, 2007, www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/modes/individual-therapy.
- Mayo Clinic Staff. “How to Stop Negative Self-Talk.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 18 Feb. 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/positive-thinking/art-20043950.
- Robinson, Lawrence, et al. “The Mental Health Benefits of Exercise.” Healthy Eating Tips to Prevent, Control, and Reverse Diabetes, Health Guide.org, www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/the-mental-health-benefits-of-exercise.htm.