What to Expect in Counseling?

What To Expect ?

If you’ve been thinking about meeting a counselor but just can’t take up the phone and make that first call, you’re not alone. Many studies tell us that students frequently think about seeking help but drop the plan at the point of making a call because the first step of making an appointment can be very intimidating. This may be so due to a lot of unanswered questions and uncertainty about what actually happens when you see a counselor. We believe you can overcome your fears and doubts about counseling and make that first call if you know what to expect.

Your First Call - Your first call to the center is attended by the administrative assistant (AA) of the center. She may need some information on your identity (whether a student or not; whether you were referred by someone or not; whether you have a particular counselor who you would like to meet; whether you have a preference of time to schedule a session etc ) before she can schedule a session for you. If you are not in a state of mind to answer all these questions she may request you to just walk in to the center. If you are not particular about seeing a preferred counselor then the AA will schedule you for the first available counselor for a time that matches with your preferred timing. She may remind you that you may come in 10 minutes before your appointment so that we can help you with filling out some forms.

Your First Visit - When you are at the center, the AA will meet you and request you to fill out an information sheet. She will also require your current course schedule. In the information sheet you may be requested to give in your demographic data as well as some information regarding your choice to seek counseling. Along with that there will also be a note on 'confidentiality' of any data that is collected from you. After that the AA will introduce you to the counselor and once in the counseling room, he/she may ask you about your reasons to contact the center. The counselor may also ask you some general questions to get to know you better. This is called an intake session and it will be kept very brief (20 -30 minutes). The intake session helps the counselor assess your concern towards making the decision whether you require short consultation to provide you with the right directions and information or counseling sessions in individual or group format. At times your concern is one that requires services from another department/unit within ZU or other clinical/community services in the locality and we may make the referral as appropriate. In general, the agenda for the intake session is -

  • To get introduced to you, provide you with a brief background about the counselor, and familiarize you with the counseling services.

  • To understand the particular concerns that led you to seek counseling.

  • To assess your personal history and current state of wellbeing.

  • To provide information about what to expect from the counseling process.

  • Conditions for referral (situations which may require the counselor to refer you to another professional/agency, if needed).

  • To sign an informed consent form (agreement) for receiving counseling services.

  • To provide information on your rights and responsibilities as a client.

  • Develop a plan to meet you on a regular basis and work toward a goal.

Your Regular Sessions -Your regular sessions are scheduled based on your discussion and agreement with your counselor during the intake session. In general, sessions are 50-minutes long and are scheduled on a weekly basis. As you may note throughout your discussions with your counselor, counseling progresses through different stages of exploring your problem, finding underlying issues if any, working on a common goal towards resolution of the problem, checking on the progress of reaching this goal and finally termination. Counselors are trained and skilled to use different tools and methods to achieve the goals in each of these stages. On many instances students find their issues resolved with three to four sessions. However, some problems require more time and exploration for resolution. In general most students resolve their issues with a maximum number of 6-10 sessions. In situations where more sessions are required or the problem remains unresolved with the maximum number of sessions possible, the counselor may refer you to another professional after discussing this plan with you. It is also important to note that there are situations when clients do not need a regular weekly session or not the whole length of 50 minutes duration in a session. Therefore numbers and duration of sessions are determined based on the intake session and the nature of the issue you bring to counseling.

Within the first few sessions, your counselor will work with you to clarify the goals of counseling and establish a treatment plan towards addressing the concern. Periodic review of your progress as well as your satisfaction with the counseling process and the counselor is important to monitor and evaluate your progress throughout the sessions. Your counselor will initiate discussions on this and it will be done throughout the different phases of the counseling process. The counselor will also help you understand that a change or resolution to the problem is a slow and gradual process. There or no miracles, magic or instant results in the counseling process. Rather, change or resolution is a slow and gradual process and can only happen with commitment and determination from you. From time to time, this slow process may make you feel disappointed and frustrated but your counselor may encourage you to continue working on the problem with more patience. You may decide to discontinue with counseling , but it is best done by presenting it to your counselor and requesting for a termination session (ending counseling). With such a session you and your counselor can benefit from a sense of closure along with a discussion on the progress thus far or areas of continuing concern.

Termination and Follow-up sessions – Your counselor knows that it is time to end the counseling process when he/she notices significant and positive changes in your behavior. Very soon he/she can help you see how far you have progressed from the initial presenting concern. The positive outcomes related to your counseling goals are now more clear for you and your counselor to see and it indicates that you can independently continue resolving the issue. You are also more optimistic and confident, less distressed and more in control of yourself. At this point, the counselor discusses with you the possibility of terminating the sessions and how best to continue working on the goals. There is a sense of success shared by both you and your counselor at this stage; however when positive outcomes are achieved in counseling we know that it is mostly due to your resolve and the efforts that you put in to help yourself. In the last session the counselor encourages you to continue practicing the skills that were learned and discussed throughout the counseling process. If required counselors may schedule follow-up sessions with increasing intervals - biweekly, monthly and bimonthly and so on.