Therapy 101 Library

Mental Health Counseling

Welcome to The Stacks! This section holds the summaries of our archived articles on mental health counseling. Click a link to read more.

My Psychic Therapist and Other Myths - Dr. Suzanne LaCombe

No getting around it...we all approach counseling wanting to know ourselves, but we're so afraid of what we might find...

This ambivalence shows up in our cultural myths about mental health counseling. Here are a few, sometimes humorous misconceptions about being in counseling that you may have run across.

Disclaimer: Any resemblance between these myths and reality is purely coincidental.

My Therapy Sucks and Other Beefs - Dr. Suzanne LaCombe

At parties and other social events people naturally ask me about my work. I get all kinds of responses from "Yeah, there're a lot of people out there who need it" to "Oh, that's interesting. Don't you find it hard to listen to other people's problems. I could never do that."

The subject often moves into the personal - without my prompting - and I learn more about why they don't consider psychotherapy a possible source of enlightenment.

Here are my responses to some common misunderstandings about mental health counseling.

Your Rights as a Client - Dr. Suzanne LaCombe

Are you brand new to counseling? Counselors can have a substantial influence over their clients because of the cultural role they play. So it can help your counseling when you're aware of your rights as a client.

Raising the issue with your counselor is important if you feel your rights have been infringed. However, it's not always easy especially if you don't feel safe enough to bring the subject up. Unfortunately, your counseling may likely suffer as a result.

Understanding your rights at the beginning may therefore help to keep your therapeutic journey on track.