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Posted March 21, 2014

How Student Counselling Could Help You

Postgraduate study can be immensely rewarding, but can also be extremely demanding and at times feel like a hard, lonely journey. In addition, like everyone else, many postgraduate students suffer periodic financial problems, relationship difficulties and other stressful events which sometimes make life difficult. Now and then there are complex choices to be made which may cause considerable distress as students struggle to find the right way forward. For some people, a mixture of stressful life events and chronic, niggling worries might precipitate the development of depression or anxiety that is particularly distressing for the sufferer. Grades occasionally fall and symptoms such as sleeplessness, tearfulness and exhaustion become more common. Luckily, there is plenty of help available, one form of which is student counselling.

Just like any other reputable therapist, a student counsellor is fully qualified and will have undertaken a professional training course to ensure they have the right skills to offer assistance. Counselling is a form of talking therapy where participants have a chance to discuss the issues they face with an empathetic counsellor who may well suggest different approaches or ways of considering a situation that makes it easier to deal with. Counselling is completely confidential (subject to the safety of the patient and others) and normally each session lasts for an hour. Routinely a set number of session are offered (often six or eight), but this can be varied depending on the effect the counselling is having. A referral from a professional isn't needed to get counselling, just pop along to the health facility on campus and request an appointment.

There’s no need to wait until life has become horribly difficult before requesting counselling. The technique is helpful for stressful yet ordinary situations such as worry over up-coming exams, problems moving house, issues dealing with bills or difficulty in making a career move. Counselling can also help in enabling postgraduates to find a good work/life balance, maintain healthy relationships and assist with worries around potentially damaging habits such as excessive drinking. Talking therapy is recommended for people who have been diagnosed with anxiety and/or depression. If you feel that you are beginning to exhibit the symptoms of these conditions, it is usually helpful to visit your GP as well as exploring counselling, as medication may be needed in addition to the opportunity to talk things over with an empathetic professional.

One of the many advantages of counselling is that it often allows people to come up with their own solutions to the problems they face. Commonly, worry and anxiety can make postgraduate students feel isolated and a failure, as if everyone else is coping far better than them with what life throws out. Counselling enables many to see that asking for help from the appropriate people is a positive step which has many benefits. For example your postgraduate tutor will be able to offer plenty of assistance if you are struggling with the academic aspect of your studies. The technique is a fantastic way of empowering you to seek help appropriately and move forward towards a brighter future.

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