The prospect of searching for a counsellor having accepted you could benefit from professional assistance is difficult to say the least. Needless to say therefore, the very last thing anyone in such a situation would want is to have to effectively fire their counsellor and set about finding another. Nevertheless, this is a reality faced by thousands of people each and every year, who find themselves in an unfortunate situation having made an inappropriate choice in the first place. Given the fact that the quality of the counselling you are provided with will have an extensive effect on your life, it is not the kind of thing that can be taken for granted.
The simple fact of the matter is that all addiction counsellors in Kent are certainly not working to the same high standards. Not only this, but there will always be certain counsellors who for whatever the reason you simply find yourself unable to ‘click’ with.
So specifically for those who may be somewhat concerned that their current counsellor may not in fact be ideal for them, what follows is a quick rundown of just a few signs and signals it could be beneficial for you to switch:
1 – You Find Them Irritating
First of all, it is important to remember that if for any reason whatsoever you find your counsellor irritating, it is going to be fundamentally impossible for you to benefit from the sessions they provide. It’s important to remember that this is one instance where being incredibly selective and critical is something you absolutely have the right to do. This is the individual that will be offering you guidance and assistance on any number of important matters, meaning that if you cannot take them seriously, you may well be wasting your time. So for whatever the reason, if you find your current counsellor more annoying than helpful, it may be time to find another.
2 – Insufficient Eye Contact
In this particular industry, there is really nothing more important than consistently demonstrating to clients that you are giving them your 100% undivided attention at all times. Which is why regardless of your own opinions and attitudes when it comes to eye contact, any counsellor that doesn’t maintain eye contact with you at all times is not a counsellor you really want to be working with. While it’s perfectly possible that they may be listening to every word you say while staring into space or out of the window, it nonetheless represents a somewhat disrespectful gesture that doesn’t bode well, given the importance of what is taking place.
3 – Not Taking Things Seriously
Even if in a comparative sense the problems you are facing are relatively un-severe, you should never get the impression that your counsellor is not taking you seriously. It can be extremely helpful from time to time to take a step back and look at things somewhat light-heartedly and perhaps even bring a little humour into the equation. The truth is though that if you don’t believe that what you have to say and the issues you have are being taken 100% seriously by a counsellor, it will be impossible for you to benefit fully from all they have to say.
4 – Clock-Watching
It’s not as if you can expect your counsellor to offer additional services free of charge, or to continue your sessions after your allotted time when they have other clients to see. Nevertheless, there’s an important difference between advising you the session is ending and literally cutting you off in the middle of a sentence and practically throwing you out of the door. If you get the impression that their time is clearly more important to them than yours, this probably isn’t the kind of counsellor you should be entrusting.
5 – Distraction
Distraction also comes into the equation as while it’s one thing to nibble the end of a pencil, it is something else entirely for your chosen counsellor to be easily distracted during your sessions. From playing with a smartphone to answering the telephone and really anything else that gets in the way of the session as a whole, is exactly the kinds of thing that confirms exactly who and what the counsellor believes is of the most importance…and it isn’t you.
6 – Lack of Reliability
Last up, the moment you get the impression that your counsellor is in any way unreliable will always be the moment you begin to realise you do not have a great deal of trust or respect for them. This could manifest as them cancelling appointments on a regular basis, turning up late, keeping you waiting or really anything else you’d consider to be unacceptably inconvenient. If they do not have the professionalism to ensure consistent reliability, chances are they’re not particularly professional at all.