Tag: Listening

Things to expect in a counselling session

  A counselling session is meant to help a person with certain problems and giving them advice and suggestions on how to cope with them. Counselling is done primarily for the purpose of solving issues related to mental health . 

In a counseling session, you can expect a safe, confidential, and non-judgmental space where you can openly discuss your concerns. Here’s what typically happens in a counseling session:

  1. Establishing Rapport: At the beginning, the counselor will aim to create a comfortable atmosphere and build rapport. They may introduce themselves, explain the counseling process, and discuss confidentiality.

  2. Discussion of Concerns: The counselor will invite you to talk about the issues or challenges you’re facing. They may ask open-ended questions to understand your situation better.

  3. Active Listening: Expect the counselor to actively listen to you without judgment. They’ll pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, and experiences to gain insight into your concerns.

  4. Goal Setting: Together with the counselor, you’ll identify goals or outcomes you wish to achieve through counseling. These goals will guide the sessions and focus on areas you want to work on.

  5. Exploration and Reflection: The counselor might explore your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors related to your concerns. This exploration can help gain insights and offer different perspectives on the issues.

  6. Skill Building and Strategies: Depending on your needs, the counselor may teach coping skills, relaxation techniques, or offer strategies to manage emotions and situations more effectively.

  7. Feedback and Insights: The counselor might provide feedback or insights based on what you’ve shared. They may offer interpretations, reflections, or observations to help you gain a deeper understanding.

  8. Homework or Follow-Up: You might be given tasks or exercises to practice between sessions. These could be reflective journaling, practicing relaxation techniques, or implementing new coping strategies.

  9. Closure and Future Sessions: Towards the end of the session, there will be a discussion about progress made, any new insights gained, and plans for future sessions if needed.

Remember, counseling sessions vary based on the counselor’s approach, the specific issues being addressed, and your preferences. It’s essential to feel comfortable and safe with your counselor, so don’t hesitate to communicate your needs or concerns during the session.

In a world full of speakers, be a listener

Listening- more than a skill

Listening is an important skill that we use daily. You might not give it much thought but it does have a huge impact on your academics, job success and even personal relationships and happiness. Even though it might seem to you that it is a passive behavior as it involves silence, but it is not true.

Sometimes when you’re distressed because of a problem be it work related or a personal issue you just dial your best friend without giving it much thought, have you ever thought why? Most of the times we just want someone to listen to our side of the story patiently without being judgmental. We are not looking a solution for our problems but sometimes it just feels good to vent out that stuff. Everybody has a person to whom they can confide in about anything, for most people it’s their best friend, it’s because they feel understood and not judged.

Good listening is an important skill required in many professions these days. It is one of the main skills required by the people working as counselors and therapists. Because the person feels heard by the counselor, they find it easier to confide into them.

In some cultures, it is taught to emphasize on listening by being a silent communicator when receiving messages from elders or seniors. Buddhism, for instance, has a concept of mindfulness which means devoting your complete attention to the task you’re doing at the moment. It helps in developing longer attention span and good listening skill.

Listening requires a person to be attentive and therefore it is an active skill. Hearing and listening are not the same. Hearing is only a part of listening. When a person actually listens, he/she pays attention to what is being said and if required respond to it. Being a good listener means you listen to others without getting distracted and with their full attention and have the capacity to  analyze and then respond.

Now there are many people out there who listen just to respond without understanding completely the context of what is being said. We must be a patient listener and not be in a hurry to respond. We should refrain from forming an early judgement, prejudices and be open to all ideas.

When in doubt about the meaning of what is being said we should paraphrase it and check with the speaker whether or not they have been clearly understood by you. In the long run, developing active listening skills is sure to help you in various areas of your life.

Just listen! And Don’t judge!…. Let’s make this world a good place to share and live…

Listening is the habit in which we are somewhere lacking. Everyone just want to say things, talk about their things and if we even listen to other, then we start giving advices without knowing what the person is going through. This is not only present in one relationship but in every relationship.

If we talk about the parent-child relationship, in many suicide cases, we can see that parents don’t even know that their child is suffering from depression because the only talk which takes place in our homes is how are you doing in your studies or what you will do in your career. May be exception are there, but many parents don’t even ask something about their life, how they are feeling, about their moods etc. In a short film it is said, “Parents know when their children need extra tutions, but parents don’t know when their children need counseling it.” And children don’t share with their parents in the fear of being scolded or being judged.

Similarly we can’t share many things with our friends too in the fear of being judged. We started thinking if they come to know about it what they think of me. May be they broke their friendship with me.

So due to this the person alone bear all the troubles and fear and when it become unbearable then it leads to depression and suicide. So, it is very important to create a space when they are only listened and not judged.

It is very important for all of us to assure our loved ones that you are always available whenever they want anything to share and they don’t have to worry about being judged. It is necessary to talk to your loved ones by keeping your ego aside and talk and always tell them how important they are for you.

Parents too also assure their children that the most important thing in their life is their children, not the marks or good job and if they come across any problem they can talk to you anytime without worrying about anything. It is very important to accept them as they are.

It is necessary that when someone comes to you with their problem, first listen them properly without simply come to conclusion, what they should do or what day shouldn’t. Sometimes people want someone who can just listen them.

It is very important to keep a check on your loved ones and check on any change in their behaviour. Just tell them that you are always their for them and build up their trust when they come to seek help from you.

So let’s be sensitive and non judgemental and try to listen to the people as much as possible so that no one has to end up their life by think that they are alone in this world.