In today’s fast-paced world, each one of us is facing mental health issues. Depression, stress, anxiety, inferiority complex are some of the states of mind – we all tend to experience during our lifetime.
There are mental health professionals, who can help you address these mental health issues, and achieve your set goals.
The big question is: what does a mental health counselor do?
Mental Health Counselor vs Psychologist
Before going to the mental health counselor, you must identify your needs. A counselor communicates with you. A person who listens to you, and talks to you, to understand what situations you are going through, and then provides his expert advice to to address your problem – is the one you call a counselor.
Whereas, a psychiatrist is an individual who diagnoses and prescribes medicines to control the symptoms of mental disorders.
How can Mental health counselors help?
A mental health counselor helps people who experience emotional or mental disorders – using a variety of techniques and methods. The patients may experience depression, anxiety, or other mental disorders.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, every one in five people is suffering from mental health issues.
More or less 46.6 million individuals in the United States have mental health issues in which only 42% used mental health services till 2017.
Mental health counselors support, advise, and provide a safer place for their clients to talk. He builds a trusted environment in a counselor-client relationship that the clients feel at home while sharing his experiences with the counselor about everything they have been through.
A Mental health counselor can also help in:
- Identifying mental health issues
- Understanding a client’s feelings
- Identifying ways to overcome the mental stress
- Setting goals for the personal well-being
- Coping up with the strategies that will help clients bring out the best in themselves.
Other than these, a mental health counselor also helps in dealing with:
- Phobias
- Bereavement
- Addiction
- Grief
- Eating disorders
- Compulsive disorders
Even if you don’t have any mental health issues mentioned above, visiting a counselor, who listens and talks to you about your problems, fears, and excitements – helps you a lot and you feel much relaxed after talking to them. They also help you in seeking real pleasures in life.
How to become a Mental health counselor?
If you want to become a qualified mental health counselor, you must have a master’s degree to get a mental health counselor license, and you must complete courses in: human development, foundation and counseling skills, psychology basics, and basic counseling and therapies.
CACREP is a famous degree accreditor that provides specialization in specific fields, such as medicine, counseling, etc. To complete your master’s degree, you must do an internship, to get hands-on experience, to get a counselor’s license.
Where you can find a mental health counselor?
To find a mental health counselor, you can take recommendations from friends and family who might have been visiting one. You can also look for mental health counselors online. We advise you that before you get help from a counselor who provides his services online, you should look for the reviews and past client’s testimonials as well.
Whomever you choose, make sure that he has the complete knowledge, and experience in the related field.