Can counseling help me?

Many people wonder if counseling is right for them. If you are considering therapy, you may feel nervous, skeptical, or even scared about talking about your most difficult feelings and situations with someone you don't know. Counseling is simply a time for personal reflection with a professional who can help guide you towards positive growth and change.

Counseling helps you to gain awareness and insight in difficult situations. During counseling sessions, you will talk through your thoughts and feelings with a therapist who will help you move forward, instead of feeling stuck or helpless.

Counselors are empathetic, nonjudgemental, and have the training to assist you in developing long-lasting strategies and skills to cope with life's ups and downs.

What is therapy like?

Because there are many different styles of counseling, and every client has different goals, therapy looks different for everyone. In general, you can expect to talk with the counselor about current events in your life, events in your past that are relevant in your current situation, your thoughts and feelings about them, and any progress you are making or insights you've had since your last session.

You get to decide what to share, how much to share, and when to share it, but being open to the experience and willing to talk is encouraged. Counseling is an active process, and the benefits you receive are directly related to how much work you put in during the session!

Why group counseling?

A large component of the services offered consists of group counseling, in which 4-8 participants with similar problems meet together with the therapist. There are many advantages to this format.

Seeing how others handle their problems exposes you to more strategies and coping skills, and opens you up to the possibility of what works, and when. Being surrounded by others who are having similar experiences as you, and are also making a commitment to change, can be inspiring and motivating. Group counseling is less expensive. By seeing more than one person at a time, the counselor is able to offer services at a significantly reduced fee.

While some may be hesitant to share their thoughts and feelings with a group, a skilled therapist knows how to facilitate an open, caring, warm, and supportive environment where you can feel safe to explore whatever is bothering you or keeping you from living your happiest, most fulfilling life.

Do I have to participate in all five sessions?

Participation in all five sessions, both individual and group, is highly encouraged. The Resilient Teacher is designed to specifically target the needs of teachers who are generally unable or unwilling to seek traditional counseling services due to time and cost. Traditional psychotherapy often requires the client and counselor to meet weekly over the course of several months -- something that is unreasonable for teachers with busy schedules and limited funds.

The Resilient Teacher utilizes a time-limited five session format while still effectively assisting teachers in growth. It accomplishes this by provided targeted interventions for specific teacher stress and anxiety triggers, and delivering immediately implementable coping strategies. The combination of group and individual counseling sessions ensures that teachers receive the benefits of group processing, while also getting one-on-one time with the counselor to address individual needs.

While attending all sessions is not mandatory, it is strongly recommended that clients attend all five sessions in order to gain the maximum benefit.