Myths About Counselling

Myths about counselling.

There are many reasons why people put off seeking the help they need. There are certain myths and stigmatisation associated with counselling and people use these myths to avoid seeking help. Lets look at some of the big ones.

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1. Therapy does not work:

False: “Study after study, and studies of studies show the average treated client is better off than 80% of the untreated sample” (Miller, S.C. 2009). Research also shows that only 10% of clients with a therapist do not make progress (Kendall, P.C., Kipnis, D. & Otto-Salaj, L. 1992)

2. Stigma, ignorance, denial and lack of motivation prevent people from seeking help:

False: A poll from the American Psychological Association showed that fewer than 20% of people surveyed listed this as a reason for not seeking therapeutical services (Miller, S. C. 2009).

3. The therapeutic technique is the most important thing to consider when choosing a therapist.

False: Wampold {2001) has concluded from research that the therapeutic alliance is the greatest factor for successful treatment in therapy. It accounts for 61% of successful treatment. The therapeutic alliance is the bond and rapport between the therapist and the person in therapy.

30% is due to Allegiance. This is the determination on the part of the person to go through with the therapeutic process.

The therapeutic technique used by the therapist only accounted for 8% of the success rate.

4. Some forms of therapy are better than others:

False: All approaches work equally well. Godley et. al. (2004) found no difference between the different approaches to performing therapy in relation to a successful treatment outcome