Your Mental Matters ; You Matter

#APRIL NEWSLETTER

by Amourie Johnson

April is National Counseling Awareness Month according to the American Counseling Association (ACA) and this year’s theme is: The Future is...Self-Care, Advocacy and Inclusion #BurnBrightNotOut (Center for Family and Recovery, 2021). This is a time to give honor to counselors who help people overcome a myriad of challenges that we may struggle with at some point in our lives. Some people are hesitant to seek counseling because of the stigmas associated with counseling, and the ACA works to bring more awareness to the benefits of counseling and reduce misconceptions. This profession also includes psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers. Counseling treatment can help to manage more than mental health concerns such as life event decisions and goals surrounding career choices or beginning or ending relationships (The Family Institute at Northwestern University, 2021). It can be intimidating to discuss personal issues with others because it makes us feel vulnerable, however counseling provides us with tools that can sustain us throughout our lives and help us to grow and evolve. Here are some examples of how counseling can help:

  1. Wellness: This relates to mind and body and feeling fulfilled overall. Counseling can help you find balance.
  2. Depression: This can put you into a mental rut and you may not know how to get from under it. Counseling helps with daily plans to reduce these feelings and increase your happiness and positivity.
  3. Anxiety: Fear of the future can cause feelings of worry and distress. Counseling can help you dig deeper about these thoughts and change your mindset to reduce these feelings.
  4. Grief: Feeling hurt by the loss of a loved one can take awhile to heal. Counseling helps you with coping skills and reactions to loss.
  5. Suicidal thoughts: Counseling helps to change your perspective from hopelessness to hopefulness. Take these thoughts seriously and call the Suicide Hotline for assistance.
  6. Substance abuse: Additions can be difficult to break. Counseling helps individuals with the society and neurological components of addition and works with the individual and family to assist with treatment.
  7. Trauma: If you experienced or witnessed a life-threatening event, you can have negative emotions of sadness and terror that can wreak havoc on your mental health. Counseling can help you process all traumatic events.
  8. Sexual assault: The #MeToo Movement has creative more awareness about sexual assault and misconduct. Counseling can help empower survivors towards healing and those who know of a friend or loved one who was sexually assaulted.
  9. Bullying: Counseling helps those who may not feel safe and work with legal maneuvers related to bullying or cyberbullying.
  10. Self-Esteem: How you feel about yourself reflects your overall image and self-perception. Counseling can help with identifying your strengths. 
  11. Relationships: It requires a different skill when interacting with friends, co-workers, and loved ones. Counseling helps you to improve communication and know the difference between health and unhealthy relationships.
  12. Family: Counseling can help with the ups and downs with family dynamics and understanding role and improve family functions.
  13. Professional performance: Success can bring about enormous pressure to maintain this performance. Counseling helps to identify your talents in order to continue to continue the momentum.
  14. Schooling: Choosing the right career path can be a daunting task for college seekers. Counseling can help you choose a career path from your individual values, beliefs and talents.
  15. Exercise: Its recommended we to at least 30 minutes of exercise daily. Counseling can help you to maintain your goals using individualized plans to keep you motivated.

(The Family Institute at Northwestern University, 2021)

 

Counseling can help us to evaluate ourselves differently and empower us to live more fulfilling lives. Let your voice be heard by supporting our counselors and stamp out the stigma!

Amourie Johnson, RN

 

If you or someone you know has talked about contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Disclaimer: Although I am a health professional, I am not a mental health specialist, and this article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional advice from a mental health provider. The information provided is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge and will give credit to the source as a guide and reference to my thoughts and views.

#REFERENCES 

The Family Institute at Northwestern. (2021). This counseling awareness month, learn how counselors can help clients. Retrieved from https://counseling.northwestern.edu/blog/how-counselors-help-clients/

Center for Family and Recovery. (2021). National Counseling Awareness Month-Teal Day. Retrieved from https://www.whenthereshelpthereshope.com/counseling-awareness-month-teal-day/

 

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