I certainly hope people have been helped by them as that is what I do.
I counsel women who were in domestic violence & abuse situations. I also staff some of Tony Robbins' live seminars. (He's the famous personal power/empowerment coach & author.)
What everyone said above is right. You need to interview with different people. They all have different techniques and use different methods. There isn't one kind of counseling/therapy/coaching. They have different skills, training and specialties. They also have different personalities and you have to find one that you click with.
You also have to know
why you are going, have a set goal you are working towards. There are some types of therapies where you can literally sit there for
years and not accomplish
anything except the therapist rakes in big bucks every week and the client gets to say (s)he's in therapy.
Those don't work too well in many cases, in my opinion, as most people may not need that kind of therapy, but need
coaching instead. Coaching/counseling shouldn't be passive.
Yet, there are some situations and intense traumas, where people do need time, lots of time and a specialist in that field who can work with that person at an appropriate pace. (Again, it shouldn't be passive.) For them, a coach would be totally inappropriate. Again,
you have to know
why you are going and what you hope to get out of it.
If you want to see examples of good therapists, watch
Good Will Hunting and
The Prince of Tides. Although, leave out the relationship part of
Prince of Tides. But, in actuality and accuracy, Streisand wasn't Nick Nolte's therapist, she was his sister's, in the film.
If you want an example of empowerment coaching, do a search on Youtube for Tony Robbins. Watch one of the videos where he is actually doing an intervention with an audience member. There are a few on Youtube.
Actually, I was sent this link a while ago. It is a FREE 80 minute video online with Tony Robbins and
and Cloe Madanes conducting a no holds barred live intervention, and NLP deconstruction of the tools used to transform one of his guests at an actual intervention at one of his events.
You can view it (it will be removed in about a week):
http://www.robbinsmadanestraining.com/special
You have to enter an email (any email will do, use a spam email,) and you will be given the link to watch the whole 80 minutes online. People pay over $1000 to go to one of Tony's seminars and get their lives changed. Some people, like Princess Diana, Serena Williams, Andre Agassi, Christian Slater, pay thousands for a private coaching session.
If you want to go to one of Tony's events, I can get you a staff discount. It is not a referral, it is a
staff discount. It's about 25% - 50% off, depending on the event and what the special price is currently. PM me if you are interested.
If you are going to therapy just because your spouse wants you to go, that's not going to work very well. You can do weekly seesions of "shopping" therapy & spend the same amount of bucks and actually have something to show for your time, and you will probably enjoy it better.
Go because YOU want something to change in your life or about yourself. Find a therapist who has a set plan that you agree with, knows how to listen, one you feel comfortable talking to, where you feel safe and
not judged, and one where you feel good, empowered, or in the very least, something is happening in the sessions. Some times being stirred up and angry,

thoughtful and uncomfortable,

, or have had your world rocked upside down after a session is very good.
As Dr. Phil has said, "We
all have strategies that have got us to where we are now.
How has it been working for you?" You go to therapists to get
changes. (And they had better know what they are doing. there are a lot of quacks out there, too.

Gives the rest of us a bad name.

)
If you just want to sit for an hour to feel listened to every week and feel you are totally right the way you are presently, get a dog.
Most of all, trust your instincts/intuition. don't be cowed by the fancy titles/certifications/licenses someone has. If you feel they aren't right for you, they probably aren't.
The great thing about therapy (a good therapy) is it's never too late to get good counseling. If now is not the right time, when you finally hit bottom, you will
know it.

The question is: How much of your life and opportunites are you willing to waste in the meantime? What is it costing you by
not going? How is this affecting/damaging your relationships by not getting help NOW?

How can your life, your relationships, your career, your emotions, the quality of your life be changed by getting therapy/couseling/coaching?

Are you and your family worth it?
