Today, victims are made every day as people find themselves on the unsuspecting side of crime. But far more common (nearly 300 million people more common) are those who suffer from some form of anxiety and depression on a daily basis. Unless there is an overflowing of emotion, these burdens typically don’t manifest externally. They afflict pain silently and require experienced counseling services to overcome them.

Counseling in Utah

Surely, we encourage everyone who has the need for therapy, whether that be to deal with addiction, anxiety, or any kind of relationship counseling, to get the help they need. Utah is particularly blessed to have competent and experienced therapists in practice here. But therapy is only one (very important) aspect of healing. People need a support system at home in order to be the most successful. 

So, how can we in Utah be better? Happily, the culture in the Beehive State is very service-oriented. Below are a few ways that mental health professionals have suggested are the best ways to be there for people who are currently struggling.

Counseling With Friendship

When rubber meets the road, what people truly need is a friend. That doesn’t mean that those friends must ignore their own needs in order to be “the strong one,” but there are a variety of ways that one can exercise true friendship in bearing up the needful.

• Actively Listen: Perhaps the most important trait in any interpersonal relationship, listening for understanding is a rarity in the internet age, which is why it’s so much more important between individuals — we aren’t getting it from anywhere else. Active listening involves asking thoughtful questions, maintaining eye contact, withholding judgment, and striving to remember details that are important to them.
• Avoid one-upping: It is simply human nature to respond to one person’s troubles with troubles of your own. While it is no sin to express understanding through personal context, it is a fine line between sharing an experience that is relevant in bringing you closer to one another, and demeaning their experience because you had a hard time, too. Search for cohesion; avoid contention.
• Offer Service: There are two ways to provide service, and each is important. The first is to offer help verbally, while the second is taking the initiative to get things done. Again, it is human nature to ask “is there anything I can do to help?” but being specific will always be better. Try asking “do you have someone who can help you with the dishes?” or “I could come by and cut your lawn for you. Would that be helpful?”

Counseling with Love

It might seem paradoxical, but the best type of relationship counseling is counseling with relationships. That is, helping someone manage their difficult relationships with others or with themselves, is best done by providing a healthy, loving relationship, yourself. Remember, you get to decide what that looks like, but it is never a bad thing to be a stable force in their life. Supporting with love means: 

• Expressing Concern: Showing real love sometimes means telling someone that you’re worried about them. This will go poorly if it is coming from a place of condemnation and self-righteousness, but expressing concern about their happiness or their outlook on life is more than appropriate.
• Let Them Be the Driver: You likely know that even the best counseling services can’t help completely if the patient is being forced to do something. The height of love is making yourself available for them in healthy ways while also allowing them to make their own choices and drive their own recovery. Celebrate their breakthroughs, but don’t try to create them artificially.
• Don’t Treat Them Differently: No matter what their issues are, your loved ones will ultimately appreciate being treated the same as everyone else. If they are getting counseling in Utah then they are receiving the “special treatment” that they need. They will likely appreciate not being labeled as “broken” by you and made to feel different, or “othered.” 

At the end of the day, being a good supporter doesn’t have to be a one-time event. It is an ongoing process of being there for those who need it. The team at Corner Canyon Counseling is excited to help be the other factor in this network of support for your friends and family with mental health afflictions. Learn more about us today.