Counseling is a talking therapy which gives people the opportunity to discuss their problems and any feeling they encounter in their environment. It is a process through which people change their life or explore their thoughts and feelings in more depth. It involves trained therapist listening to you and helping you find ways to deal with emotional issues. In this you will be encouraged to talk about your feelings and emotions. The counselor will listen you and support you without criticizing you. He will help you to understand your feelings and thought process. He will light the way to solution. He will not advise you or tell you what to do.
Once upon a time there was a place named Hilanda which was ruled by a king Dhanaputhra. He had more than 20 ministers in his kingdom. Badura was one among them and he was very clever and brave. One day Dhanaputhra asked Badhura to show him a man who is the most worthless in his view and should give the reason within 10 days. Badhura became quiet and thought for one second and replied that “Majesty, you know this universal truth, nothing in this world is worthless and useless”. King replied “ I never asked to give universal view. I asked you to give your view”. Badhura accepted his order and went around the countryside in search of a worthless person. On first day he went around all the market places, the second day and the third day he visited all the houses. Fourth and fifth day he went around all farm areas he never found such a worthless person. On the sixth day he went for searching and after sometime he got tiered and he sat under a badam tree and there was a stream passing nearby him. After some time he noticed that one old man is searching something in that stream. He just went there and asked him what are you searching for? The old man replied that “ I am searching for my ring”. Badhura felt sympathy on him and he told him that he will give a gold ring instead of that lost one. Then the old man replied “no I want that same ring- my wife given me that before her death” Badhura became wordless and he also engaged in search of that lost ring. After searching for hours Badhura became tired and he asked the old man, “Where exactly you lost that ring- we will concentrate our search in that area” the man pointed towards a small cave nearby and said “There I had lost my ring” Badhura surprised and asked “You lost ring there then why you are searching here”. The old man replied “It is so dark there I can’t see that is why I am searching here”. Badhura stopped searching and returned to the palace with that old man and said to the king “Here is that worthless person”. The king asked him for the reason which made the old man worthless. Badhura replied that “He lost his ring in a cave in the countryside, but he searched that near the stream- by saying that the cave is so dark”. The king became happy and given 100 gold coins to Badhura.
Can you see that old man inside you. Yes, I can see him in everyone around me including me. The surprising fact is that we cannot see him with our naked eyes, only others can see him in you. This is exactly what the counselor does. He will help you to find that old man inside you and will show light towards that cave inside you. Everyone has problems in their life, its origin will be somewhere and we are searching solution somewhere.
Counseling is a type of helping approach that prioritizes the emotional and intellectual abilities of the client. There are different types of counseling available. The first one is GROUP COUNSELING in which multiple listeners are there. They will give their perspective. Through this you will get a view that you are not alone in your experience. These groups include other people with the same symptoms and experience. You will be able to help them. You will get support, understanding and empathy from other sufferers. Next is FAMILY COUNSELING which will help you to withstand stress that come along with life challenges. It will help you in times of grief, loss, parenting difficulties and communication problems in families. This will improve your communication skill. It will help to gain insight into origin issue that relate to the current issue and thus improve family relationship. A family will be worth only when individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated and communication is open.
INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING which is a cooperative process between therapist and patient. It will provide a safe, supporting and confidential environment to the client, which will help them to open up their feelings. Next is the RELATIONSHIP COUNSELING. Supportive Relationship with friends and family will increase psychological wellbeing and reduce levels of depression and stress. But relationships are complicated building healthy relationship is difficult.
To conclude, we should understand that counseling in any way(online & offline) is of great help to solve the problems of our couples especially the new ones and also helps to resolve relationship problems in the family, in the work place and also in the society. Nowadays the importance of counseling is increasing very much. The necessity of child and adolescent counseling is to be highlighted and such an awareness should be made among parents, teachers, health workers and social workers and also in the political and government level. Considering all this facts the mental health problems should be implemented in the school and college curriculum.
