By definition, counselling is a talking therapy which is given by either people who have trained on counselling skills or individuals with past experiences, to individuals in the society so that they can into terms with problems they are experiencing with the aim of helping them overcome the problems and make them feel better. Counselling can also be defined as a process that people seek when they want to change their lives or when they want to explore the deeper depth of their feelings; it allows people to have a discussion on their problems in a safe and an environment that is confidential. In counseling clinics, there are counsellors whose major task is to encourage the patient with problems to be fixed so that he is able discover the root causes of the problem and identify a given way that the patient thinks; this will help the counsellor in formulating a plan of either helping the patient overcome the problem or cope up with the problem at hand.
Different forms of counselling are administered by the counsellor to the patient so that at the end of the process, the patient feels relieved. The first classification of counselling is known as face to face counselling; this is the most form of counselling that is liked by many people as one is able to react to any emotions there and then; the patient seeks an appointment with the counsellor at his place of practice and sees him face to face. The second classification of counselling is known as individual or group counselling; the patient may decide to visit the counsellor on his own or join other patients who have similar problems, group counselling helps patients with low self-esteem or those who feel shy to talk about their feelings as well as helping them create a support network. Telephone counselling is a type of counselling whereby the patient receives counseling services by telephone especially if the counsellor is too busy to make face to face appointments or far away from the patient; the type is helpful especially to patients who shy face to face meeting with the counsellor. Online counselling is the last classification where the patients who fear face to phase or telephone counseling prefer to use emails in writing to receive counselling services.
The types of therapy that are provided by the counselor include art therapy, behavioral therapy, cognitive therapy and humanistic therapies. Benefit number one of counselling is where an individual is helped to overcome the challenge of addiction. Another benefit of counselling is that the services helped bereaved patients come into terms with the loss of their beloved ones. Counselling helps an individual overcome the challenge of metal health and the effects of bullying in one’s life. Counselling has also an advantage of helping patients overcome trauma and relationship issues.