The field of counselling has grown rapidly within the past few decades. It is not surprising, as this career offers many opportunities to help people with their problems and give them a fresh start. Anyone interested in a field that deals with the human mind will want to know more about the risks involved in this line of work. Psychological counselling is one job that offers many different career paths. You can get into it as a clinical counselor or as a counsellor specializing in working with children. Though there are many risks involved, you might also see some positive outcomes from your efforts. Let’s explore what these risks are so you can make an informed decision before committing yourself to this line of work:
You might not see positive results after a while.
Psychological counselling is a long-term strategy for dealing with mental health concerns. If you get into it for the short term, you might find a quick solution but you may also frustrate yourself and the person you are trying to help with this approach. Some people have to work through deep-rooted issues over a long period of time and lasting results have to be seen on an individual basis. It is not easy to affect lasting changes if you are new to the field. You might find that you have to build up a relationship with a client over time and make changes in their lifestyle to see results. There is also the fact that some problems are never completely resolved.
You may have to deal with severe psychological distress.
The people who work in counselling have to be calm, friendly and non-judgemental in their approach. You need to be able to handle bursts of emotion as well as a wide range of challenging behaviours. You might have to cope with clients experiencing severe depression and other severe mental disorders that can make them behave unpredictably. Some people might be unwell enough to make even trivial things like appointments seem like a huge deal to them. You might have to deal with these people in a mental health facility or in their own homes. This puts you at risk of coming across these clients at a time when they are showing the most difficult behaviours. You need to be able to cope with the situation without being too affected by it yourself.
You might not be able to help everyone who asks for your help.
The field of counselling is relatively new and it is not surprising that not many people know about it. People may know about therapy but not realize that they can go to a counsellor for help with their problems. There are also certain issues that are more common than others. If you are trying to help people with a specific issue like addiction, you may find that it is difficult to affect lasting change.
There is no one single type of person who can be helped by counselling.
People might think that counselling is a one-size-fits-all kind of thing. This is far from the truth. People might come to you with issues that have little to do with the human mind and emotions like anger, stress, grief and so on. You might find that your clients are facing relationship problems or they might have issues with their jobs.
There are more emotionally demanding jobs out there.
Psychological counselling is a demanding line of work. You have to have a good understanding of human psychology as well as have a skillset that can help people overcome their issues. You might be able to find a job in a counselling centre or in a private practice. This means that you have to deal with people who are emotionally distressed. You also have to deal with varying levels of mental health issues that can affect the work you do.
Summary
There are many risks involved in psychological counselling. These risks are perhaps greater than in other fields that deal with the mind. Most of the people who get into this field for a short time are not able to stay in it for long. Most of the clients you deal with are not in a state where they are ready to accept help from a professional. There is also the issue of dealing with severe psychological distress.