Introduction
Introduction
Counsellors provide a safe space for their clients to talk about their concerns and feelings. However, sometimes the surface-level conversations may not be enough to help their clients heal and achieve true emotional resolution. This is where deep counselling plays a role. Deep counselling, also known as depth therapy, entails a holistic approach to individuals' well-being that also requires them to engage in abstract thinking. The techniques used in deep counselling, therefore, require them to consider multiple meanings of concepts, explore patterns in their behaviour, and consider non-literal or metaphoric meanings.
In this blog post, we'll look at the importance of deep counselling and how it can benefit your clients' overall well-being.
The Role of a Counsellor
The Role of a Counsellor
As a counsellor, it is your responsibility to assess whether the need for deep counselling exists and whether it is appropriate to address your client's needs. Once you have identified the need, conduct a full client assessment to understand the severity level and possible root cause of the problem. Next, tailor the sessions to meet the individual needs of the client, with a focus on self-discovery maintaining client independence, self-care, and self-reliance.
Jenny is a counsellor who sees clients on a daily basis with problems ranging from usually broken marriages, children with authority issues and learning problems, mild depression and anxiety, burnout, unmanaged stress and so forth. Jenny is adequately trained to help these clients and she manages to cope, but Jenny is becoming increasingly aware that her counselling focus might be very superficial. There remains, however, an existential residue that is not addressed for she is not competent in this field.
Could it be that some clients struggle with existential baggage so deeply ingrained in their beings that they cannot pinpoint it? Yes, this is indeed a threat that is universal – the futility, emptiness, meaninglessness, annihilation and absurdity of life that we all experience in the modern Western world.
At the root of all these encounters, is a worldview of materialism. It has become a scourge. Our education system, our scientific enterprises and our economies are all steeped in the metaphysics that 'matter is all that matters'. Fuelling this global system is technological advances, world exploitation and consumerism.
In a materialist world, there is no room for transpersonal reality, we practice healthcare without a soul, enter relationships in virtual reality and strive for things, not values. In such a world there is no room for beliefs, only things matter, respect for human life disappears and even killing becomes commonplace, for it is no longer murder but only a termination of another android!
Slowly life becomes eroded and we end up with people being reduced to biochemical androids. Aesthetical and ethical values are no longer deemed absolutes, but only pragmatic and relative arrangements to make society function orderly.
Counsellors that are materialistically inclined apply psychotherapeutic skills in a recipe-like fashion but often fail to touch the heart and souls of their clients. The Covid pandemic succeeded in depersonalising humanity further, adding insult to injury. We daily resort to an incognito existence masked like criminals prepared to decently observe the 2-metre distancing rule. Last week a student came to collect her study results and asked me: 'Prof. Do you still hug? I want to thank you properly'. How sad that we are afraid to act spontaneously due to these inhumane regulations!
We cannot erase materialism, only react with idealism. The only recourse is to engage with people on the level of the soul. Do we still remember what that means? It means being capable of expressing spiritual virtues and living again with joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, love, forgiveness and kindness. Because a client is a living soul, we as counsellors can treat them with unconditional positive regard as Carl Rogers taught us.
Understanding Deep Counselling
Understanding Deep Counselling
Deep counselling is therefore not the probing action of Freudian psychotherapies but in the words of Rogers the 'organismic valuing process of judging experiences to see if they are bringing us closer to self-actualisation or not'. In simple terms, it is to touch your soul, to react with empathy and compassion, and to instil an attitude of gratitude and contentment to replace consumerism. Only when we rediscover the soul do we become empowered to overcome all our struggles and uncertainties and integrate them into a more humane existence? The result: Authentic living, freedom and well-being are the fruits of being homo sapiens at heart.
“Challenging the meaning of life is the truest expression of the state of being human”.
― Victor Frankl
As such, deep counselling is an approach that goes beyond the materialistic world and encourages clients to delve deeper into their souls, feelings and emotions to uncover the real root cause of their issues. It involves extensive exploration of the client’s thoughts, behaviours, past experiences, and belief systems. The aim is to help them gain insight into their behavioural patterns and understand their unique thought processes so they can better understand themselves and the world around them.
The Benefits of Deep Counselling
The Benefits of Deep Counselling
One of the main and powerful benefits of deep counselling is that it helps clients achieve long-lasting emotional healing. By exploring and addressing the root cause of their issues, clients learn to be more self-aware, empathetic and compassionate towards themselves and others. This can also improve the client's relationships with others, as they learn to communicate more effectively and understand their own personal boundaries better.
Empowering Clients
Empowering Clients
Deep counselling gives clients the tools to take control of their emotions and behaviours. Unlike traditional counselling which may offer a band-aid solution, deep counselling empowers clients to make significant and lasting changes to their lives. Client-led exploration and discovery can serve as a catalyst for positive life-altering changes, helping to improve overall mental health, well-being, and family/relationship dynamics.
Tailored to the Individual
Tailored to the Individual
Deep counselling is tailored to the unique needs and circumstances of each client. It’s designed to be an individualized approach that meets the specific needs of every client. By providing personalized therapy sessions to clients, they will feel heard, seen, and valued providing a prerequisite for successful therapeutic outcomes.
Conclusion
Conclusion
In conclusion, deep counselling is an essential aspect of a counsellor’s toolkit. Incorporating a deep-counselling approach will not only help your clients achieve the desired results, but it will also empower them to create sustainable change in their lives. Take your role as a counsellor seriously by providing your clients with a safe space for exploration, discovery, and growth. Explore your client’s thinking preferences, behaviours, past experiences, and belief systems extensively. Help them achieve lasting emotional healing, empower them to take charge of their emotions and behaviours, and focus on offering tailored, individualised treatment to achieve successful therapeutic outcomes.