Counselling Therapy
Counselling therapy is a relational process based upon the ethical use of specific professional competencies to facilitate human change. It can be useful in addressing issues of wellness, relationships, personal growth, career development, mental health and psychological illness or distress. The counselling process uses recognized cognitive, affective, expressive, somatic, spiritual, developmental, behavioural, learning and systemic principles.
What I Can Do to Assist You
1. Help remedy or treat disorders in cognitive (thinking), behavioural, interpersonal and emotional functioning.
2. Use specific standardized tools to assess, monitor and record your symptoms (e.g., level of anxiety or depression).
3. Help your mental health by developing and enhancing personal, relational, sexual, and career growth and well-being (including dealing with grief or loss).
4. Help enhance your personal awareness and coping strategies.
5. Help improve your decision-making and problem-solving skills.
What I Can't Do to Assist You
1. I cannot provide you with a diagnosis of a psychological illness or disorder
2. I cannot prescribe medication or advise you on the dosage of a medication.
Risks and Potential Benefits of Counselling
Potential benefits of counselling therapy include an increased ability to live more effectively by improving your ability to cope with a variety of stressors and life challenges. You may also gain a better understanding of yourself, your goals, and your values, which may assist you in your personal and career growth. You may also experience relief or resolution, develop useful life-skills, increased resiliency, and a healthier relationship with yourself and others.
Counselling therapy may also involve risks of remembering unpleasant events, and experiencing unfamiliar or unanticipated feelings and memories. You may face issues or aspects of yourself that are uncomfortable to confront. Counselling therapy may also lead to unforeseen changes in your relationships or take you outside of your comfort zone as you move forward in therapy.
In rare cases it is possible that a client could be harmed by the actions or inactions of a counselling therapist. As a licensed Registered Counselling Therapist, I am required to adhere to a Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice which govern my interactions with clients. If you feel that I have harmed you in any way or breached these standards, I hope that you will speak to me directly about your concern. You are also free to take your concerns directly to the Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapy (NSCCT). Information on the NSCCT complaints process is a part of the website content.
Complaints Process and Infographic
Ethics and Standards of Practice