With the stresses of life accumulating and our workloads getting heavier, sometimes we all feel that counseling would at some point benefit our lives. For some of us however counseling becomes a must have in order to get over certain problematic issues that causes us to seek the helping hand of a professional who will direct us towards normalcy and enable us to gain a better insight into understanding our limitations and capabilities.
 |
Counseling is basically a helping process which takes place between the counselor and the client. The counselor treats every client as a unique case of study and the client is provided a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere where he or she can have a personal one-to-one session. Having understood the society's need to have counseling services Asiri Surgical Hospitals through its Wellness Centre is conducting counseling services which will be conducted by Dr. Kumari Sellahewa, a prominent counselor. The target groups for these sessions are adolescents to middle age adults. The Sunday Times Free Hold supplement spoke Dr. Sellahewa to find out more about the counseling services provided through the Asiri Wellness Centre.
"Counseling involves a lot of active listening and a large amount of empathy and respect for the client from the counselor concerned. This enables the client to form a special bond of trust with the counselor. Also counseling cannot be a one time session where in which the client will find all the answers to their problems. Another important fact to remember is that in counseling we do not give the client advice or provide them with an interview session, but provide more of a personal exploration that takes place where the client learns more about him or herself", says Dr. Sellahewa.
During the counselling process suitable options are provided to the client by the counselor which is usually initiated by the client himself. Therefore the entire counseling session is a verbal process where solutions are found to certain problematic issues. According to Dr. Sellahewa, counseling can be done for different types of individuals or groups according to the needs of clients. Group counseling sessions are conducted on common issues relating to the entire group.
"There are different types of arenas on which counselling sessions are based. Individual counseling mostly involves relationships, self confidence issues and other types of personal problems the client can be up against. Group counseling sessions on the other hand can be work related and involve work related relationships and other types of workplace problems, which can cause loss of productivity in the workplace", further stated Dr. Sellahewa.
Apart from this the Asiri Wellness Centre also provides counseling in the form of group lectures on selected themes. These counselling sessions will include PowerPoint presentations and will also include group activities which can be tailor-made to suit the varied requirements of organizations.
When asked as to how long a counseling session will last, Dr. Sellahewa said that usually one-to-one counseling sessions will last for a maximum of an hour but can vary on the client's situation and requirements.
"Another important factor to remember is that counseling is not the solution for everything. Counseling is a learning process where solutions are found for the client to better face the problems they have incurred. Counseling helps clients see problems and difficulties in a different light and therefore better equips them to come up with effective solutions to their issues. Most often clients experience a true difference within the initial counseling sessions itself which is very encouraging for them", concluded Dr. Sellahewa.
Dr. Sellahewa will be available for counseling services on Wednesdays from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm. Those who are interested can contact the Asiri Wellness Centre to make an appointment. |
E-mail
