What is Psychotherapy and Counselling? Part 3 - Can I talk to a friend instead?

Last two posts I have talked about Online Psychotherapy and about Mindfulness.

But WHY look for psychotherapy or counselling at all? Why not a beer with a friend instead?

A chat or a deep discussion with a friend about a problem is often enough. And that’s great. Some stuff, though, can be too private. Perhaps you’ve never talked about it with anyone, but it is now making your life difficult.

OR you feel down, stressed or anxious, but you are not at all sure why. A friend may tell you that ‘you are actually very lucky’. They mean well, but this does not help.
 

Sometimes, your problems involve other people and you’d feel bad talking about them unless it’s in total confidence with someone who doesn’t know your friends and family.
 OR there’s no specific reason, but your life seems pointless. Why bother?Retirement, infertility, redundancy, break-ups and other disappointments are a ‘normal’ part of life, but can lead to a feeling of ‘meaninglessness’. We can feel that we are going round and round in circles and even the kindest friend may start telling us to ‘snap out of it’ or to ‘count our blessings’.
 In all these cases a therapist or a counsellor can help constructively. To go and see one does not mean that you are ill or that there is something wrong with you. It simply means that at times, like the rest of us, you need a bit of extra help to tackle a difficult part of your life.
 

What this involves and how to go about obtaining such help is something I will write about next time.