Highland Park, Lake Forest, Deerfield, Lincolnshire, Illinois
Call Julienne Today 847 266-8484
Myths about Counseling
Myth: A counselor does not know me and can’t help me.
Reality: Actually, this is one of the most important reasons why counseling can be successful. Since a counselor is not a part of your day to day life, they are capable of being more impartial with less bias. Oftentimes, family and friends tell you what you should do. Counseling involves a unique relationship where you are encouraged and challenged to find the answers that are right for your life.
Myth: Counseling takes forever.
Reality: The length of counseling depends on the client’s goals, motivation, and the severity of the problems brought into counseling. However, most counseling is short-term, generally lasting between eight and fifteen sessions. Good counselors are invested in helping you meet your goals so you can successfully operate independent of counseling.
Myth: Everyone will know I'm seeing a counselor
Reality: Counselors our bound by professional ethics and state law to protect your confidentiality and privacy both during counseling and after counseling ends. Only in extreme cases where someone is in imminent danger or a judge mandates release of counseling records can confidentiality be broken. Outside of these circumstances, information can only be shared if you share it or you provide written authorization for releasing information. A good counselor will explain confidentiality to you at the beginning of counseling.
Myth: Couples counseling always makes one person the "bad" guy.
Reality: Good couples counselors focus on the relationship. While it will be important to gather information from each member of the couple, the purpose is to facilitate relationship change. As a result, each member will look at his or her role in the current state of the relationship. Rather than labeling someone the villain, the couple’s counselor will encourage both members to make changes leading to improvements in the relationship.
Myth: You have to be near a divorce to consider marriage counseling.
Reality: Marriage counseling can be beneficial for couples who suffer from mild, moderate, or severe problems or couples who just want to attain greater marital happiness and satisfaction. Many married couples avoid counseling until a divorce seems imminent. Counseling does not guarantee that a divorce will not happen, but it can guide you toward the best decision for the relationship.
Myth: Couples problems can only be examined in couples counseling.
Reality: While it is ideal to work on couples issues as a couple, various approaches exist. Some couples counselors see members of the couple individually to augment couples counseling. Sometimes, members of a couple benefits from attending individual counseling as well to supplement couples counseling progress. In each case, the ultimate goal is to improve the couple’s relationship system and couples counseling remains a good option in many cases.
Julienne Derichs LCPC
Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling Serving
Highland Park, Lake Forest, Deerfield, Lincolnshire, Illinois
847 266-8484
Northshore
Couples Counseling Today
...Courage, Compassion, Connection
Julienne B. Derichs LCPC
773 562-3074 Office in Highwood, IL 60040 CouplesCounselingToday@gmail.com
(between Lake Forest and Highland Park, IL)
