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How do you respond to offers of help?
Just Want to Talk | Last Active: Jun 5 11:31am | Replies (103)Comment receiving replies
That depends on the quality of the counseling, doesn't it?
Not all advice is worthwhile. There are so many variables.
An outside opinion is just that: an opinion.
Sometimes, "advice" is so trite as to be worthless, like people telling me I should eat better and exercise more to lose weight. Gee, why didn't I think of that?
While I certainly agree that seeking an external perspective is valuable (I sought counseling after a stroke), that doesn't mean that feedback is gospel.
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Oh, I pretty much agree with everything you are saying.
In my experience, about 1 in 5 counselors was good. The rest? The reason the rest were bad is not that they weren't talented...but, to me, it seemed they were just there for the paycheck and really had no real devotion to me or to solving my problems. Just did the bare minimum so that they could get paid.
But, the good ones were good.
As far as them giving trite advice? Sometimes the words they say are not what they mean.
That is where their little professional "mind tricks" come in. Sometimes, say, they will tell you trite advice in order to get you to react. Like they want to provoke you, to get you angry.
Why? Well, anger tends to defeat depression and get people energized.
The good ones will play those kinds of "tricks." And that is their job, you know?
In my experience, that is the not the first thing they do. They try to do things directly and openly for a long time. But if that doesn't work, they will try "tricks."
That may seem manipulative, but every good sports coach in history has done those kinds of things. Anyone who is good at motivating people to do good, will engage with that from time to time.
Very sorry about the stroke. I had some incident in 2014. They think it may have been a TIA...and I have some brain damage...but they are pretty sure it was not a stroke.
Anyway, thanks for the feedback, appreciated.
Best of luck to you, sir...