Question: What alternatives are there to counselling?

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Answer #1:

Psychotherapy. There are many different types eg CBT, Human Givens, etc etc

Answer #2:

I went through the same a few years ago I found counselling just wasnt right for me either.

Psychotherapy and Anger management are good alternatives

Answer #3:

I don’t actually view Homeopathic Medicine as much more than a placebo but I do recognise the value provided by the way homeopathic practitioners deal with their patients. If you have a Homeopathic Hospital in your area make an appointment to see someone there – I think you will be very pleasantly surprised at just how helpful these people can be when it comes to stress, depression etc.

Answer #4:

Ask about CBT - cognitive behavioural therapy - specifically for anger management. It is available on the NHS, but there's often a long wait.

Answer #5:

I'm not sure what kind of "counseling" you participated in. Was it with a professional psychotherapist? Even if you were working with someone with a lot of experience and credentials, it often takes more than one try to find the right fit for you. There are a lot of different kinds of counseling and therapy, you might find a different style that is more suited to you. For example, if you're looking for a counselor/therapist who is more directive and will give you structure and "advice" on things like managing stress and anger, you might might benefit from something called cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), as opposed to modalities where the therapist is encouraged to be more passive.

Don't be afraid to let your counselor know if you aren't happy and feel you might be better helped by having her or him give you more feedback. I know it might feel awkward at first to bring things like this up, but that kind of honesty and directness is an important part of therapy--in fact, being able to "confront" your counselor/therapist without having to worry about social niceties or offending someone or be rejected is part of what makes therapy different from getting advice or talking about issues with friends and family. If that doesn't work out, or you're already pretty sure you don't want to work with this person anymore, you can tell the counselor that too and they will refer you to someone else. Your counselor won't take it personally, this kind of thing happens all the time and they were prepared to deal with it early on in their training.

I'm not sure what you mean exactly by wanting to talk about medical issues as well. I see that you have a GP already; sometimes it is helpful if your GP and counselor/therapist talk to each other as a team, then your counselor can help you get the information that you need. There is also the option of seeing a medical doctor for therapy (a psychiatrist), though they charge significantly more per hour than people with other credentials and because of their background are likely to prescribe you medication right off the bat (which isn't necessarily a bad thing--I don't know your situation--just be aware of the trend).

I strongly encourage you to try counseling or therapy again. If you're really averse to individual work, you could try group therapy as an alternative. Some people also benefit from attending support group meetings, where you might make friends with other people who are going through what you're going through (though this is an entirely different animal from professionally-regulated therapy and not all groups are created equal), or talking to other people in discussion forums on websites about mental health. There are also books you could buy and resources on the internet about coping with stress and anger management. Journaling is also something that can help you sort out your feelings, that's something you might want to try whatever you decide to do next.

Good luck and hang in there!

Answer #6:

Life coaching, maybe. Directive therapy is great, the therapist will give you some input. Group therapy is the best environment if it really is feedback that you want (in these situations, you get feedback from members of your therapy group, which can be diverse and very helpful).

The trouble is, the set up of mental health services is presently going through major changes, and people such as yourself (with predominantly emotional problems) have been rather neglected. The situation is not completely hopeless and you can ask for another assessment and see what your local health services can offer you. Art therapy, music therapy, dance therapy etc, the range of therapies that could potentially help you are huge, so don't worry, if you go back to your GP they almost certainly will have something else to offer you.

Well done, btw, for acknowledging you have a problem and taking steps to tackle it. It seems you have great insight, so that bodes really well for a good recovery. Take care, and best of luck :)

Answer #7:

First of all, like several others have said already, there are many different types of counselling. Not every approach fits every person, the same as not every counsellor is right for every person. As part of my training I have both experienced the type of counselling where you are supposed to talk with minimal feedback and practiced it, and when I was in the client role I found it completely useless, to be honest. I also found it very difficult to practice as the counsellor. You may find a counsellor who specialises in Transactional Analysis is useful to you Click Here as this can be especially useful for people who have problems in their dealings with others (anger, not fitting in, etc).

A private counsellor is not automatically better than an NHS one; its all dependent on what models they use and how experienced they are. be wary, by the way, as there are no regulations governing counsellors and psychotherapists in the UK. Absolutely ANYONE can set themselves up in practice and call themselves a counsellor or psychotherapist, and they don't even have to have had any training or experience. Look for someone who is a member of a reputable governing body, and the best one is probably the BACP. Their website has a facility where you can search for a therapist in your area by using your post code.

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Anyway, your question asks what alternatives there are to counselling, not what sorts of counselling are available. As others have also mentioned, you could look at CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy). This can be successful for a lot of people, and is based around training the brain to view situations in a different way; its like defeating emotional responses with logic, if you like.

As I say, it CAN be effective, but is really (in my opinion) better suited to behavioural problems like, for example, eating disorders than to emotional issues such as anger. It does depend on the cause of the anger though. It could work for you. CBT is currently favoured by the NHS and is often represented as being a miracle panacea for all the world's ills. That is not really an accurate portrayal. It can give dramatic and measurable results in a short period of time (which is why the NHS likes it!) but like any form of therapy, it also takes a longer term commitment in order to achieve lasting results. CBT tends to treat the symptoms not the cause; sticking plaster therapy. Invariably there will be more work to be done at some point in the future.

There is also Anger Management, and again that may help you. In my opinion, when taken as a short term therapy, it is unlikely to resolve all of anyone's issues, but it can give a start on the most immediately problematic ones.

Hypnotherapy may be suitable for you, and is certainly worth looking in to. Again, beware of charlatons, and make sure you find a reputable and experienced therapist. Personal recommendation is always the best way to go, but failing that, go for someone who is a member of a reputable governing body. Try here Click Here and use the "find a therapist" link.

In summary, there are potentially as many types of therapy as there are people with issues, and how many people have you ever met whom you consider don't have ANY issues?! My advice would be to keep searching until you find something and someone that works for you. xx

Answer #8:

If you have any close friends that you could trust you could possibly get help by talking to them it would be free so you dont have to spend money on counselling? On the other hand you may feel uncomfortable with that idea of a friend knowing things that may be of problems to you or lack of privacy.





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