A healthy professional counselling relationship is one in which a client feels respected, treated with positive regard, and where the counsellor can provide a non-judgemental, neutral supportive role in assisting a client to identify, articulate, and respond to challenges. Finding the right therapist can mean meeting with more than one person in order to establish a counselling relationship that works for you.
In making the decision to seek counselling services it is worthwhile to take into consideration that there can be positive emotions and life changes as well as uncomfortable emotions and difficult decisions that can arise when receiving counselling services - and this can be thought of as the benefits and risks of counselling.
There is a strong evidence base showing that receiving counselling services can help to identify and manage challenges, enhance self-understanding and expand the range of perspectives for approaching and managing a situation. Counselling services can be useful for learning and practicing self-care techniques, for promoting a sense self-fulfillment and personal growth, for encouraging the strengthening of healthy relationships and treating long-standing personal and emotional challenges.
Possible risks of receiving counselling services can include feelings of discomfort, confusion, anger, or frustration that arise in therapy when working through present challenges and trauma, or when recalling past traumatic experiences. This can produce feelings of sadness and retrieve uncomfortable thoughts and memories that can impact on a client's day-to-day life experience while they are receiving counselling services to therapeutically resolve issues. Some issues can be much more difficult to treat, and may require changes to the counselling treatment plan to best respond to the unfolding therapeutic process.
Although every person will have a unique experience of couselling, research evidence has found that clients who seek counselling for themselves have often already begun the essential reflective process of engaging with problems they wish to address, and that this allows them to begin counselling on active foundation. The extent of benefits that are derived from counselling often depend on the particular issues a client hopes to address, the goals that are set, and the ability of the client to follow through with treatment.