by Bridget Webber

Created on: January 12, 2009   Last Updated: March 14, 2012

Whether an individual will benefit more from professional counseling or from making use of self help resources depends very much on them, their circumstances, and the ability of any chosen counselor.

Some people are able to pick up information and learn from others around them to enable them to discover how best to deal with problems and life crisis. When this is so professional counseling is probably an unnecessary expense. Any good counselor will also tell you that when a person can help themselves, instead of resorting to expert advice, they are engaging in empowerment that is mentally healthy, and so this is praiseworthy.

For some people though, depression or problems can prevent them from being open enough to discover how to deal with feelings outside of the professional arena. This can happen when adverse life conditions become so bad that the individual can no longer clearly see the situation they are in, and so cannot recognize opportunities for self help even when they are close by.

People cope and manage in different ways. Some people require counseling for only a very short period of time to help them engage with a plan of action without the need of further sessions. This can be seen as a positive move.

There are also people who attend counseling who need longer periods of help and can benefit from a time where they are engaged in a period of complete trust and understanding. This can allow them to heal before they move on.

Sometimes people overcome certain forms of depression and anxiety by physically and emotionally getting involved in positive activities where they are surrounded by others, not professionals, who are supportive and caring.

There is no right or wrong answer as to whether counseling or self help is superior over the other, other than that each circumstance and individuals case should be seen as a separate entity which may benefit from taking a different approach.

The outcome as to whether a counselor can be helpful for a person or not has much to do with whether the counselors approach matches the style a client most needs. Counselors, just like clients, come from different backgrounds and may follow different belief systems when thinking about what is best for a client.

The type of counseling which tends to help most people however, is where an individual is shown they can find their own way in life and be empowered by discovering that true answers lay within. Once a person finds that they, themselves, are the most powerful and incredible source of help they can have, this resource stays with them and they can call on it forever.

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