Respond to discussion

Counseling is a process that involves the development of beneficial relationships between patients and therapists. Many individuals hold a flawed perspective that counselors focus only on providing advice to their patients. Therapists aim at contributing more to the betterment of their patients' wellbeing by helping them to transform their behaviors, attitudes, and focus on achieving objectives (Women's Ministries. n.d.). Counseling approaches that could help patients in suffering include training them to develop adequate social skills, using practical communication tools, and providing spiritual guidance. 

As a counselor, I would coach the suffering patient about decision-making, tactics for evading grief, and career choices. This approach would help to provide her with a vision and a renewed purpose in life. The counseling initiative would also focus on grief and loss. Life may not always turn out tragic, but pain and suffering are regular aspects of human experience. The most common questions among suffering patients in therapy do not involve the amount of suffering, but the reasons that make them encounter such strife. 

The questions that I would consider when counseling the suffering clients include the duration of their suffering and the time it began. The second item of consideration would be why the clients believe or perceive that they are suffering. The third question that I would like to consider is whether the experience and focus on sustaining hinder the clients' life progression. The fourth question for consideration is whether the suffering is affecting other individuals in the client's life. Finally, I would try to determine whether a religious approach would be beneficial for the client's wellbeing (Gray & Wegner, 2010). When counseling patients, it is crucial to observe ethical practices such as kindness, courtesy, professionalism, and cultural sensitivity, among others. This approach would help to increase the levels of comfort and trust with the clients. 

Recently, I served a client that was divorced. The patient admitted to losing focus in life and developing the feelings of social stigma. I noticed that she had impulsive behavior, such as uncontrolled crying, emotional outbursts, and aggression. The client should undergo cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help in controlling her reaction and feelings. CBT is an evidence-based approach that has been effective with numerous disorders (Hope, Heimberg, & Turk, 2010). This method would help the client to realize the negative patterns and distortions in self-image and general worldview. The model is best suited for the client because it recognizes that an individual's thoughts influence the feelings while the external events do not play significant roles. CBT would help the client to regain purpose in her life, improve her interaction skills, and eliminate sadness.

Hi good post. You mentioned, " The most common questions among suffering patients in therapy do not involve the amount of suffering, but the reasons that make them encounter such strife." How would you help clients navigate through that journey of "why?"