Counselling: What, Why and How Revised Edition  (English, Paperback, Meera Ravi)

Counselling can be the answer to several problems like poor self-esteem, lack of control over your life, difficulty making decisions, grief, anxiety, depression and difficult relationships. Or people may go for counselling just to improve their life. Dispelling the myths about counselling, Meera Ravi explains why it is not just ‘comforting’ and how it can be a way to self-discovery. The topics include:

• What is counselling, and what it is not
• Do ‘normal’ people need counselling?
• How will you know if you need counselling?
• What problems can counselling solve?
• How to choose a counsellor
• Test your assertiveness and anger level
• Stress, psychosomatic illness and mental health
• Changing yourself.

About the Author
Meera Ravi is a qualified family counsellor, and she the runs the Prerana Academy for Growth and Guidance, Bangalore,. She conducts workshops for children, parents and teachers. She is the author of a Guide to Study Skill and Teaching through the Heart, also published by Viva.

Table of Contents

• Introduction to Self Awareness
•  Difference between counselling and psychotherapy
• History of counselling and psychotherapy
• Perceptions about counselling
• A parable
• Counselling in India
• What is counselling?
• How does counselling work?
• See a counselor? But I have my best friend!
• Benefits of counselling
• What counselling isn’t
• Why go for counselling?
• Do ‘normal’ people need counselling?
• How will talking help?
• How will a person know if he should seek counselling?
• Self-development counseling
• What are the problems that can be ‘solved’ by counselling?
• If I don’t seek help what will happen?
• Will the counsellor advise you what to do?
• How long does therapy/counselling take to work?
• How to choose a counsellor?
• Qualities of a counselor
• Evaluation of your relationship with the counselor
• Did you thank the counselor for your growth?
• Your rights and responsibilities
• How can you get the ‘best’ out of counseling?
• Disappointed with counseling?
• Change: the bottom line of counseling… Is it possible?
• Are counsellors ‘special people?
• Evaluate yourself: how angry are you?
• Evaluate yourself: how assertive are you?
• Evaluate your emotional health
• Some specialized fields of counseling
• Child counseling
• Parent-child relationship: evaluate your relationship with your child
• A child’s plea
• Individual counselling
• Couple counselling
• Family counselling
• Grief /bereavement counselling
• Career counseling
• Mental health at a glance
• Why talk about mental health?
• Three things which God couldn’t understand after creating human beings
• Psychosomatic illness
• Stress and psychosomatic illness
• The paradox of our times
• Counselling for learning ‘parenting skills’
• Help yourself