In our counseling practice today, while we use many evidence based professional therapies and approaches like CBT, REBT, SFBT, Mindfulness, ACT (being a few of my personal favorites) and so many more, we also need to accept many newer alternative, new-age approaches and complementary therapies that many clinicians use and incorporate in their core work to reach, understand, alidade and collaborate with their client’s overall well-being.
These practices are complementary alternative therapies that very often prove helpful to the client over the traditional ‘talk-therapy’ approach. They have been reported and have enough scientific evidence today to be pretty effective to address the clients emotional, psychological, and mental well-being. They offer opportunities and possibilities to introspect, find direction, goals and answers to why the client struggles and eventually are miraculous to help them find peace, heal and regain full functionality.
Some of the more famous ones are – Hypnotherapy, Past Life Regression, Inner Child Healing, Art Therapy, Pet or Animal Assisted Therapy, Music Therapy, Spiritual Therapy, Crystal Healing, Chakra Balancing, Yoga & Meditation, Drama Therapy, Dance & Movement Therapy, Aroma Therapy, Bach Flower Remedy, Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Gardening & Farming and so on.
Irrespective of what the client finds peace and solace in, it is imperative that we the practitioners, ensure credible certifications, comprehensive training (with supervision) and possess a reasonable skill-set in these modalities before we suggest them and engage in them with our clients. The choice of choosing the modality of course lies with the client. Their comfort, readiness, preferences, therapeutic goals and the therapists expertise in facilitating the same.
Irrespective of what we use to help the client see things more clearly, a relationship of trust, confidentiality is paramount to successful counseling. We need to stay mindful of our basic counseling skills and stay aware that we are non-judgmental and provide the client a safe space to share their innermost fears, practise active listening, stay empathetic (irrespective of the client’s narrative), observe their non-verbal communication, build a comfortable rapport, communicate using the right words and question them for clarifications without intimidating them. Should we face transference and counter-transference do not hesitate to address it or refer the session out to a counselor that you trust. Talking to your own supervisor about this would be very beneficial for your professional and personal growth as well.
As therapists, we have a responsibility to not only our clients but to our own selves before that. Get help and seek therapy should you not be functional and be going through a challenge and/or an emotional issues. It is ok to not be ok.
Ms. Nandini Raman
RPC 30
