Written by: Shirali Pathak
Editor’s note: The following article is written by a counseling graduate student in partnership with Counseling Services and the Southern Accent.
Counseling is known to be a specific mental health discipline that uses guidance and psychotherapy to improve the well-being and quality of life in both individuals and counselors. As relational beings, we experience a variety of emotions and desires while striving to live a life with purpose and meaning.
For many, living life day-to-day is a battle. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, it was reported in 2020 that nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness. That doesn’t account for the rest of the world that is also suffering with mental illnesses.
As for college students, 44% have reported symptoms of depression and anxiety, according to an article written by the Mayo Clinic Health System in 2021. Overall, with these statistics in mind, there is a growing increase of mental illness and a need for help that is important to keep in mind.
Seeking counseling services does not mean you have to currently be experiencing a major crisis. Counseling is an effective tool that can help improve individual wellness. According to an article written in 2020 by Sara Lindberg for Healthline, titled “The benefits and options of therapy,” improving your communication skills, learning how to make healthier choices, developing coping strategies to improve distress and discovering ways to support yourself and those around you are all factors that counseling professionals can assist with.
Finding a therapist that works for you can be difficult, especially for those who prefer to speak with individuals from similar cultural or racial backgrounds. Although every counselor should be culture-conscious, there are professional therapists that have culture as their area of focus. A Healthline article written in 2020 by Rebecca Joy titled “9 tips for finding the right therapist,” lists sources to consider when looking for a culture-conscious therapist, such as online support groups and therapy for Black women and men, Native American tools for holistic health and mental health resources, Asian American Pacific Islander mental health resources, therapy for Latinx community and so much more.
For many of us that are Christians, it is important to recognize the dangers of darkness in this fallen world that have and will infiltrate all areas of our lives. Counseling is an incredibly great and useful tool, but we must keep in mind who we are choosing to see as our therapist and how they are leading and guiding us. Every technique and intervention that is used in therapy has great meaning and history behind its use. It is vital that we take time to assess what is feeding our bodies and minds, and if it aligns with what God is trying to speak to us through His Word.
As Scripture says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2).