The following are the most common types of counselling:

Marriage and Family Counselling

Educational Counselling

Rehabilitation Counselling

Mental Health Counselling

Substance Abuse Counselling

Marriage and Family Counselling:

People often face a lot of problems in their marriage and family life. Sometimes, these troubled
people find it hard to come up with their life. This results in constant fights with their partners or
family members.

Marriage and family counselling comes in here. In other words, it helps people with these problems.

They take them into confidence and prescribe solutions that will help them overcome their
problems.

Educational Counselling:

A student who is fresh out of school or college is often clueless as to which career to choose.

This is completely normal for kids of that age to feel like that. Furthermore, sometimes even working
individuals feel like that in the midst of their careers. This is nothing to worry about.

Educational counselling helps these people in choosing their career path.

They conduct seminars and orientations or private sessions where they discuss the interest of their
client and offer solutions accordingly.

Rehabilitation Counselling:

This type of counselling refers to a practice where the counsellor helps people with their emotional
and physical disabilities

Furthermore, these counsellors teach these people ways to live independently and maintain gainful
employment.

It evaluates the strength and limitations of their patients. In short, they help people in guiding them
and assisting them to lead independent lives.

Mental Health Counselling:

Mental illnesses have become very common these days. Awareness has helped people identify the
symptoms of it and visit mental health counsellors.
Mental health counselling helps people deal with issues that impact their mental health and well-
being. Some of the mental illnesses are depression, PTSD, ADHD, Bipolar disorder, and more.

This counselling focuses on these issues and helps in resolving them for a healthier life.

Substance Abuse Counselling:

Substance abuse counselling is a form of counselling which helps people in treating them and
supporting them from breaking free from their drug and alcohol addiction.

It helps people discuss the cause of this addiction and reach to the root of it. The counsellor thereby
suggests coping strategies which make a positive impact on their lives. Moreover, they also provide
them with practicing skills and behaviors which helps in their recovery.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a specific way of intentionally paying attention. One negative thought can lead to a
chain reaction of negative thoughts

This approach encourages people to be aware of each thought, enabling the first negative thought to
be 'caught' so that is seen as just a 'thought' and not a fact.

This breaks the chain reaction of negative thoughts giving a mental 'space' in which the person can
re-center themselves in the present. Mindfulness is likely to appeal to therapists who have
developed a long-term meditation practice.

Mindfulness-Based Counseling is an increasingly popular approach aimed at helping clients to

increase relaxation while removing negative or stressful judgments.

This technique helps to teach clients how to deal with emotional stressors reflectively instead of
reflexively (Hofmann et al., 2010).

Different types of mindfulness meditation approaches may be applied as part of Mindfulness

Counseling, such as yoga, breathing meditation, sitting meditation, body scan, and sound scan.

Body scan involves gradually attending to different parts of the body while tensing and then relaxing
muscles.

With sound scan, responses to sounds are adjusted so that their aversive impact is reduced.

While mindfulness approaches are often added into CBT and other forms of therapy

What Are Counseling Approaches?

A counselor's approach is a reflection of their training and coaching philosophy.

For example, a therapist trained in behaviorism will view a client's behavior as a function of reward
and punishment systems. Behavioral counselors primarily focus on how behavior is impacted by
environmental factors, as opposed to thoughts or unconscious motivations.
Counseling approaches and coaching styles also are differentiated by how therapists interact with
clients. For example, client-centered counselors tend to focus on a client's innate goodness and use a
nondirective style of interaction.

Generally speaking, counseling approaches are guided by theory and research, both of which inform
the method of practice.

Common problems faced by counselors include things like:

Finding work-life balance

Client resistance and lack of engagement

Multicultural competence

Vicarious trauma and secondary traumatic stress

Professional development

Burnout

Confidentiality and ethical dilemmas

Crisis intervention

Limited resources

Emotional resilience

Insurance limitations

1. Finding Work-Life Balance

As a mental health professional, one common challenge most therapists face is finding work-life
balance. Everything from long hours to high caseloads to emotionally draining sessions makes the
role of a therapist incredibly taxing. So, maintaining a healthy work-life balance is a critical skill for
you to master.

Setting boundaries between personal and professional life

Prioritizing self care practices

Engaging in hobbies

Why it’s so essential: Achieving a more balanced lifestyle helps maintain your commitment to helping
others before burnout.

2. Client Resistance and Lack of Engagement

Lack of client engagement is one of the hardest challenges of being a therapist. There are many
reasons for a client not to engage in their treatment. They may not want to be there — for example,
if their therapy is court-ordered — or they might be in denial or unable to accept what’s happening
in their life at the moment — which might be likely if they or someone they love has been diagnosed
with a terminal illness. They could’ve had a negative therapy experience in the past, as well. Client
resistance can look like someone who’s:

Unresponsive to your questions

Unwilling to share personal information

Resistant to “going deep” with you

Adverse to following through with your treatment recommendations

Strategies to help you — some ways to re-engage clients include:

Building rapport and trust by showing empathy

Using motivational interviewing techniques

Exploring the underlying cause of the resistance

Going back to the basics and providing psychoeducation about the benefits therapy can offer

Why it’s so essential: When you help your clients engage with their treatment, you’re helping them
grow in their recovery, which is why you chose this profession in the first place.

“At times, clients can be resistant to engaging in therapy. There are many reasons, such as mandated
or court-ordered therapy or therapy doctors recommend due to a medical condition. When this
happens, the therapist can address it with the client and alleviate some of their concerns around
therapy or simply explain how therapy can benefit them.”

– Talkspace therapist Bisma Anwar, LPC, LMHC

3. Multicultural Competence

When you’re equipped to work with clients from diverse backgrounds, you’ll be able to overcome
common counselor challenges by understanding and respecting different cultures. Developing
cultural sensitivity helps you recognize your own biases and limitations — some of which you may
not even be aware of — so you can be sensitive to others’ perspectives.

Strategies to help you — you can assume and enhance your multicultural competence by:

Actively seeking out education on various cultures

Being open to learning from clients

Why it’s so essential: Culturally adapted interventions can help you improve treatment for superior
health outcomes.
4. Vicarious Trauma and Secondary Traumatic Stress

One of the biggest counseling challenges for many mental health professionals is learning to manage
vicarious trauma or secondary traumatic stress. This can occur when you have clients who’ve
experienced significant or distressing trauma. The reaction can be similar to post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD). It can manifest in intrusive thoughts or dreams connected to a client’s experiences.

Strategies to help you — you can prevent vicarious trauma and secondary traumatic stress as a
mental health professional by:

Making self care a priority

Creating clear boundaries

Seeking professional help from a trusted colleague

Participating in professional development opportunities that focus on managing vicarious trauma

Maintaining a strong support network

Why it’s so essential: Recognizing the signs of secondary traumatic stress early on, and implementing
coping strategies proactively, will ensure you can continue providing quality care while protecting
your emotional well-being.