“How can I know if I need counseling?” If you have asked yourself this question, there’s a good chance that counseling can help you.

This article cannot tell you if you need counseling, but it will help you think through some important questions. Don’t be ashamed to ask for advice from counselors; they talk every day to people who want to make their lives better.
When should I get counseling?

You should get counseling when:
You feel you can no longer manage a problem on your own.
Your life is being harmed by a problem you cannot seem to solve.
Your problem is getting worse, not better.
You have lost interest in life or think it’s not worth living.
You have emotions that cause lasting pain and distress, such as sadness or anxiety.
Your relationships with others have a lot of conflict.
You and your family don’t seem able to cooperate with one another.
What problems can be helped by counseling?

There are many problems that can be helped by counseling. Counseling helps when:
Something about you or your actions keeps you from being yourself or feeling good about life.
You have a problem that you could control better, if you knew how.
You can understand yourself better and make new choices.
Your mood is preventing you from being satisfied.

Some people feel helpless when they begin counseling. It’s important to remember that counseling will help you to find new options. Then you can start to gain more control over your life.
Can’t I just talk to a friend?

Friends can be a great support in times of need. But friends cannot do what counselors do. Counselors are skilled at helping people change the way they think, act, and feel. Friends don’t have this training, so they can miss important aspects of what you tell them.

Friends can offer practical advice, but they often do not know how to help you get to the core of your problem. Also, friends are not objective in helping you with your problems.

In addition:
You can’t always tell a friend everything you can tell a counselor.
Your friend may have trouble dealing with your problem. He or she may share your problem with others to get advice. Your counselor is bound by law to keep your problems private.
A counselor is trained to help you get at your true feelings and to help you cope with your feelings. Friends often just support how we feel.
Your problem may come from ties with family or friends.
What if my problem is not with me, but with someone else?

Other people can cause problems. Cases of neglect, sexual abuse, and violence are examples. However, your counseling cannot change other people; it can only change you. Perhaps your growth will bring the other person to seek help.

Counseling can also:
show you ways to deal with difficult people.
help you get over bad feelings that come from how others treat you.
teach you how to change your role with others and gain more control over your social ties. When you respond differently, people often will respond differently to you.

There are a few times when counseling must be done with other people. When you are trying to keep a family or marriage together, your spouse and/or family members may need to take part in counseling.
How does counseling work?

Counseling is a job that you and your counselor must perform together. In other words, your counselor does not “do” something to you to make you better. You must work together. You need to trust each other. You must feel safe enough to tell your counselor your true feelings and thoughts.
How can a counselor help me?

A counselor can help you:
Understand yourself better
Figure out what’s bothering you
Find how to change what’s bothering you
Change how you react to people and events
Look at your actions, thoughts, and feelings more clearly
Find out what’s holding you back
Find out what’s important to you
Stop actions that are harmful to you
Manage everyday problems
What happens during counseling?

The counselor asks you questions that help you think about your feelings and thoughts more clearly. The counselor does not have a set of right or wrong answers to these questions. The questions are chosen with the hope that you will come to the right answers for yourself.
Source: http://my.clevelandclinic.org