Our school offers in training councilors going for their masters degrees. Their services are offered for free to the students and I like the idea of going to one for some recent issues. But, I feel that they wouldn't have enough experience yet to be of any real help to me. Can I have some advice on what to do?
Do you feel that your problems are too severe for them to help with? I'd say go for it anyways, it's not like there's anything to lose. Who knows, they might be able to offer some help after all
How can you tell that they don't have enough experience without trying first? Age, looks, and qualifications do not matter. In life help is available, and often people don't know what help they need so what do you have to lose if it's free. Absolutely nothing. They aren't going to solve your problems, but they will help highlight what you can do to help yourself.
You could go to them, since they are free and if they feel like you need someone with more experience they should tell you. Though, you can go on gut instinct and if you feel like their experience is to superficial for your problems you can move on. It's free, so you don't really lose having one counciling session. You might be surprised and find that they are more approachable and easier to talk to as you forge a way to fix your problems.
I say go for it. You have nothing to lose. Yeah, they might not be as experienced, but that means they have fresher "look" on things. Their mind patterns are fresh. I bet they do their job as well as real councilors. And they probably have supervisors aswell. And if they don't help you, then you can always go to a real councilor. Use that opportunity.
I would say to do it. It can help and it certainly can't hurt. These students have probably had internships and quite a bit of training in both practice and theory, especially at the Master's level. And like another person said, they are most likely supervised. If you've never had counselling before, this can be a good, no pressure first step.
Thank you everyone. The topics I wan't to talk about are pretty heavy, but not the kind of thing these counselors will be used to. My psychological problems are bizarrely different from the student body. I'm not unique in my issues, I'm just worried they won't know how to handle someone who doesn't fit in to the usual flow type of visitors.
In my opinion, I think it would be a wonderful idea for you to see a counselor. Counselors are there for your benefit. It might be a great way to open your eyes to different coping mechanisms and really put a foot in the right direction. If you are dealing with a lot of emotional trauma, counseling is a wonderful outlet. Even a person with a small amount of stress can benefit from counseling. Counselors are here to help us and sometimes it takes a lot to make the choice to help yourself. I feel that counseling really opened my eyes and gave me a few options when it came to dealing with my problems. I think you should go for it. It won't hurt anything.
The services may be free but I don't think they would have the experience to deal with more complicated cases yet. If you wanted to have therapy, then I think it would be better to actually go through your Doctor. It would still be with the NHS if you are in the UK. I also don't think it would be a very good idea to tell your innermost things to fellow scholars. I'm sure they wouldn't say anything but I think it would be better, to treat your case in a more professional way. Sure go talk to them, but I wouldn't want to get into a deep chat with them. I would rather do that with a qualified therapist away from the school, and away from the people you see everyday.
I'm sure that they have plenty of training already if they are trying to become counselors, and they will probably refer you to someone who can help you if they cannot. It may be easier for you to start by talking to someone your own age, so I think it's a good idea.
