Relationships can be highly enjoyable, but rather complex as well. To have a healthy relationship, it is important to be honest and communicative with your partner. Unfortunately, not all people have this approach and can find it difficult to keep an open relationship with their boyfriend or girlfriend. Luckily, relationship counselling is available to promote healthy relationships and avoid persistent problems. This article will provide information on relationship counselling in Melbourne and its different pros and cons.
What Is Relationship Counselling?
Contrary to popular belief, not all counsellors will provide generic services treating all problems an individual may be experiencing. As with other services, such as home design or roofing, it is essential that you locate a counselling service providing services suitable to your needs. A relationship counsellor is a psychological professional offering counselling services focusing on different types of human relationships. The most common type seeking out this service is a married couple looking for help to overcome problems with communication.
What Are The Benefits Of Using Relationship Counselling?
• Privacy And Anonymity
One of the greatest advantages to any form of counselling is the issue of privacy. Despite the 21st century being one where many people will share personal information online, not all people are keen to discuss relationship problems openly. By using a professional counselling service, the client will be able to discuss relationship issues with a qualified professional and know the information will not be shared with others. If information is shared (beyond ethical guidelines), the professional will be acting against ethical guidelines and can lose their license to practice.
• Gaining Professional Advice
While it is cheaper to speak to friends or family members about relationship problems, this advice is naturally biased. It may be more appealing to speak with a person you know, but unprofessional advice could be disadvantageous. By using a relationship counselling service you will receive a response to your problems from a skilled practitioner that is objective. The response will be based on knowledge of relationship problems and the most helpful behavioural actions.
• Objective Opinions
Another benefit to professional advice is that the counselling gained is objective. A friend offering advice may present a personal bias to their response that is more about what they would do and not focused enough on your specific situation. For example, if you are discussing poor communication in the relationship and your friend dislikes your partner he or she may provide advice placing the partner in a bad light as that suits them best.
• A Professional Area For Counselling
When working with both partners in one counselling session, it is possible to increase effective communication by using a professional counselling space. The counsellor and the counselling room should be set to allow the individual or individuals to speak openly about their concerns. This is because the area is void of distractions, unlike a personal home or workspace and the process is facilitated so that each person feels heard. This is highly beneficial because it increases positive interaction and improves the chance of relationship repair to occur.
What Are The Different Disadvantages To Using Relationship Counselling?
• The discomfort
While professional advice is provided based on knowledge, experience, and skill, counselling can be disadvantageous because it can be confronting. This means that talking openly can be very uncomfortable and some people take time to feel ready to open up, so the first session may be too soon which can scare people away from seeking effective resolutions. Furthermore talking openly sometimes means confronting disagreements, having some conflict which can also be confronting. With the right qualified psychologist these challenges can be talked about and worked through, rather than avoided.
• The Cost Of The Counsellor
Unlike advice from personal friends or family, the use of a professional counsellor requires payment. Due to the growing demand for relationship counselling in Melbourne, the cost of services can be expensive for some people. It is possible to find counsellors offering services at a cheaper cost, but these are not always beneficial options and the practitioner may not be experienced or highly skilled. To find an efficient professional, you will need to pay for quality advice which hopefully is positive investment into your future healthy relationship.
• Availability And Accessibility Of The Service
Due to the popularity of the internet, it is now possible to use online relationship counselling services; thus, the issue of availability or accessibility may not always be a problem. However, the traditional face to face relationship counselling in Melbourne practitioner means travelling to your appointments. A relationship counsellor is not always available for your needs immediately, especially if they are in demand it may mean waiting a few weeks to see them. This can be challenging if you are facing an urgent relational crisis and require professional mental health services immediately. Let the counsellor know the urgency and request to be on the cancellation list.
• Tiring And Time-Consuming
Seeing a therapist can be mentally and physically tiring; as well as very time-consuming. The standard time for a single counselling session is one hour and for a service to be successful, it is recommended that one attend sessions regularly. This means weekly or fortnightly which may not seem a problem, but counselling is not a speedy, quick fix treatment and you will need to complete sessions until your goals are achieved. If you don’t feel you are progressing then speak directly to your counsellor.
• Stigma
Despite the popularity of counselling in today’s society, therapy continues to present with a negative stigma. While many people do not care about the stigma if they are receiving effective treatment, there are those who do not want to be involved in therapy. This barrier can be detrimental and can influence the effectiveness of treatment. It is usually helpful to express your reluctance to the counsellor who should be understanding and clear about the reasons counselling is necessary in your situation.