The invisibility of what we feel is perhaps the most mysterious happening to human beings by virtue of their existence. What we cannot see often leads to trouble in both identification and interpretation of how it is actually affecting us.
We can keep a track record of our physical health with constant assessments, check-ups and appointments with physicians. But how often we forget to ask ourselves an important question through the hustle-bustle of working schedules, to take a minute and ask our minds “How are you doing” and not be intimidated by how it actually feels.
Regulation of one’s emotions, behaviour and action can be a difficult task. Many people lack the awareness that they may be suffering from a mental health concern. Conditioning, internalization, materialism, and a constant need to move ahead has halted our process of evaluating our emotional needs. Our minds, much like our bodies require attention and affection. To periodically revaluate our lives, see what has impacted us emotionally and intellectually, and to review our life’s journey objectively helps put things properly into perspective for us. It allows us to shed the mental baggage that we so often begin to unconsciously carry with us from time to time.
The answer is in the problem itself, the lack of acknowledgement of symptoms stems from a lack of diagnosis, a full-blown attack in the form of denial and hesitation to consult professionals. Educating people about mental well-being is a battle in itself.
The real definition of therapy encompasses from pathology to well-being. The spectrum in between covers a grey area being that people with extremely well to do lives can also feel helpless and trapped without any material discomfort. That is the strange thing about mental health issues, it does not discriminate across the huge range of diversity that humanity has to offer in terms of gender, race, caste, class, sex, poor or rich. It has the potential to play its trick with anyone and anywhere.
The choice to remain unaware is a privilege. However, in order to live well, we do not need to seek big questions, just some simple answers can do the trick.
Humanising lives tend to concerns about all your mental health queries. Beginning from understanding the basics of professional mental health care, how it can optimize your life- the way you live and experience it, how to best understand and acknowledge the issues emerging and creating hurdles in self-awareness and potential and how we provide a safe space for you to unburden the struggles hindering your well-being.
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Q) What is counselling therapy?
Counselling is a process in which clients learn how to make decisions and formulate new ways of behaving, feeling, and thinking. Counsellors focus on the goals their clients wish to achieve. Clients explore their present levels of functioning and the changes that must be made to achieve personal objectives. Thus, counselling involves both choice and change, evolving through distinct stages such as exploration, goal setting, and action.
Clients have adjustment, development, or situational concerns; and their problems require short-term intervention. They are not considered “sick” but “stuck”. Sometimes they just need information, but usually, they are looking for a way to clarify and use the information they already possess. Counselling is theory-based and takes place in a structured setting. Counsellors draw from a number of theories and work in a structured environment, such as an office setting, with various individuals, groups and families.
Q) What is pro bono counselling therapy? Pro bono counselling therapy aims to increase access to mental health counselling for individuals, couples or families who do not have insurance or are otherwise unable to afford mental health counselling. It can be carried out through short or long term sessions managed by the organization offering it.
Q) Why counselling therapy is needed?
Classically we may need therapy at some or any point in our lives. However, it is specifically needed when we go through prolonged periods of experiencing either one or a combination of the following factors causing hindrance in our daily life optimal functioning which includes
● Erratic Mood ● Trust Issues ● Lack of Self Esteem ● Feelings of Anxiety and Apathy ● Resentment towards life and family ● Isolation and Aloofness ● Lacks the willingness to take any initiatives ● Shows territorial behaviour
Counselling Therapy facilitates the unblocking of the pressure points which can be of varied nature including stressors such as academic pressure, familial discord, abuse and trauma, failed relationships leading to self-harming tendencies, anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure), disturbed sleeping patterns and lack of self-esteem. Whilst these are common problems but symptoms can be devoid of all these issues and still the individual can mentally feel empty and isolated. There are no range for symptoms, just absence of assessment and attention to unconscious turmoil which can be uncovered for the betterment of individuals through counselling and professional help.
Q) How should the warning signals be identified and how counselling can help you?
A vast majority of people are well prepared physically and psychologically to cope with many negative physical and psychological events that take place during their lifetime, these can be – Deaths within the family and friends and work associates; Injury; Divorce; Marriage; Stress; Unemployment; Change of jobs; War; Disaster; Birth; etc. Families and friends to help us to absorb many such negative events making painless transitions to accepting the challenges before us.
However, all the above lead to an enormous amount of pressure being placed on the individual and some can cope and others just simply cannot. In addition to the above list, what are considered minor traumas created by man himself/herself can cause as much of a problem on an individual as a major disaster. These could be –
● Physical violence ● Sexual violence ● Sexual discrimination ● Sexual abuse ● Abusive language ● Intolerance ● Negligence
All these events whether natural or man-made all are resulting in the disruption of normal life. A long process of healing is required to bring back normality in the lives of the people who have been exposed to such negative life events, and one of the main healing techniques is called counselling.
Clients can expect to find someone who is interested in listening to their concerns, helping them understand better and guiding them to resolving in a healthy manner. The counsellor will take them seriously, and be willing to discuss anything they wish to talk about. Counsellors have no ‘magic wand’ and cannot read students’ mind, and are not there to solve their problems for them. They are there to help them look at their concerns in a new way, and assist them in deciding how to change what they want to change. (Kabir, 2017)
Q) How Humanising Lives has tried to provide a safe space to work on this problem?
Humanising lives believes the state of good mental health and well-being enables people to realise their own potential, to cope with stress, to work productively and to contribute to their families and communities.
We extend social support to ensure that everyone especially those with the fewest resources holds a good state of mental health and emotional wellbeing to secure opportunities to succeed in life and social/personal relationships, being able to realize their abilities, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively, and contribute to family and community.
The need for therapy is not limited to attending to traumatic events experienced by an individual. The daily life struggles ranging from spousal conflicts, personal frustration, career backlogs and uncertainties, financial turbulences, dealing with anxiety or simply the need to be heard, we are happy to be here for you in these trying times. Pandemic has been a watershed moment for each and every one of us and here at Humanising Lives we aim to ease the dispersed mental turmoil everyone has experienced.
In doing so the organization aspires to act as an anchor to ensure the turbulent water doesn’t wash off anybody’s will to live, create, and prosper.
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Q) How can you join our pro bono therapy initiative?
The Pro Bono Counselling and Psychotherapy Project mission is to ensure that free mental health care is easily accessible to people who are in need with the help of trained mental health professionals within the comforts of your home.
The Pro Bono Counselling and Psychotherapy Project will enable students, families, couples and individuals who are emotionally distressed to get professional help to identify and overcome their challenges to achieve emotional stability and growth potential.
Services are available via video conferencing and teletherapy
Payment only on a voluntary basis towards the foundation for welfare.
⮚ Terms and Conditions
We will provide short term counselling (at least 5 sessions or more if requested) at no cost to the recipient. Your sessions will be provided by Psychologist trainees (Master’s Level student graduates) under strict supervision from a clinical professional.
All Pro Bono clients are pre-screened for appropriateness. If at any point an individual or couple is determined to need more intensive services beyond the capacity of our psychologist trainees, they will be referred to the appropriate services.
So individuals who would NOT be appropriate for these services would be: •diagnosed with severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia and related disorders. • struggling with drug and alcohol issues as the primary issue • needing high acuity level of care • suffering from chronic mental illness • under the age of 18 unless it is in the context of a family.
In the end, I would like you to imagine yourself doing a routine task of washing dishes, you keep on delaying to strain all the waste bits some of it manages to pass the drain and some of it remains suspended. Over the weeks it creates a block and water starts forming a tiny tornado and refuses to pass the sink. Eventually, you have to unclog the drain, it’s filthy and it’s messy and it makes you question everything you were doing. Do not let your mind wander through the blocked bits, keep unclogging every once in a while, don’t let yourself drown till you are completely washed over and drained.
References Birla, N. (2019). Mental health in India: 7.5% of the country affected; less than 4,000 experts available. Retrieved from Economic Times. Kabir, Syed Muhammad. (2017). INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELLING.
We do not always need to swim or sink, sometimes staying afloat is a battle. Feel free to unload your inner turmoil and we will listen to you. Unclog the suspended disturbing thoughts from your mind. It is not an easy path but an essential one and we are here to help you.
Written by :- Bhagya Babu
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