Marie McNabb, MALicensed Mental Health CounselorWelcome to my website. As you consider counseling for yourself or someone you care about, I hope this site provides helpful information to you. |  |
How can meeting with a counselor help you?
Honest & confidential conversation
When you talk to a counselor, you can be totally honest in ways that you cannot be with even your best friends or closest family. A counselor is not in your day-to-day world and also knows how to deepen conversation, giving you time and space to say the things that are important and come from your heart. This tells us where you need to go next.
Support through change
When your usual approach to problems no longer work, a counselor helps you find new ways to think about life or change your situation. Especially when you are stressed or feeling down, trying new ways takes patience and courage, and a counselor provides moral support and practical suggestions.
A New Attitude of Curiosity
If things aren't going well, you may be angry, frustrated or mocking of yourself and the way you are trying to cope. I often hear: "What's wrong with me? This isn't that big of a deal. Why can't I pull it together?" A counselor encourages more gentle attitude patience, curiosity, and creativity. Not only does self acceptance reduce your stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression, but it brings change much more quickly.
On a deeper level, the words that you use against yourself can be echoes of troublesome voices from your past or attitudes from the modern world that don't work for you. Recognizing this, through counseling, helps you in your future.
Self Understanding and Meaning in Life
Therapy is deeper work than counseling. In therapy you tell more of your life's story and you think about patterns in life that point to your core questions, struggles, or desires.
As you think about your life, you may find yourself getting into similar situations or similar relationships over and over. You may see that you have a typical way of dealing with life that leaves you disappointed or alone. You may feel bored with life, stuck, disillusioned. This is the territory where seeing a therapist can shake things up and help you appreciate how important your life is.
Contact me with questions or to make an appointment at info@mariemcnabb.com