If You Need Someone to Talk To - Counseling and Therapy

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Sometimes we hurt…

• Your body hurts when:
  • You fall down and hurt your leg
  • You drink hot coffee and your mouth burns
  • You get a cold and you hurt all over
• Your head and heart hurt when:
  • Someone says something mean
  • You feel sad about something
  • You think about bad things a lot

When your body feels hurt:

• You go to a doctor:
  • To find out what’s wrong
  • To find out how to get better
• What do you do when your head or heart feels hurt?

When your head and heart feel bad:

• It helps to talk to someone who will:
  • Listen
  • Ask questions
  • Share ideas
  • Keep things private
• You can talk to someone who knows and cares about you:
  • A friend
  • Someone in your family
  • Someone you work with
  • You can also talk to someone called a counselor.

What is counseling?

• Counseling helps make the hurt in your head and heart go away.
• Sometimes counseling is called therapy.

Who does counseling?

• Counselors are sometimes called:
  • Therapists
  • Doctors
  • Psychiatrists
  • Psychologists
  • Social Workers
  • Marriage and Family Counselors

A story…

• Maria and her parents fight every day.
  • They yell,
  • They call each other names,
  • Then they don’t talk to each other.
• At work, Maria thinks about her family and starts to cry.
• She asks her minister what to do.
• He says they should talk to a family counselor.

What happens in counseling?

• In counseling, people talk.
  • Don’t be afraid to say what you feel.
• Some people use drawings or music to show how they feel.
• The counselor will listen and ask questions.
• Together, you can decide:
  • Why you feel bad
  • What you can do to feel better

Is your counselor right for you?

• After your first meeting, ask yourself:
  • Do you feel good talking to this person?
  • Do you trust him or her?
  • Do you want to go back?
  • Did he or she explain everything so you understand?
• If you answer “no” to any of these questions, you can ask for another counselor.

You may want to join a support group.

• A support group is a group of people who get together to help each other by:
  • Listening
  • Sharing stories
  • Giving ideas on how to feel better
• People talk about lots of things in a support group:
  • Feeling sad after someone dies
  • Feeling unhappy with life
  • Drinking too much alcohol or eating too much
  • Anything that gets them down

Where can I find a support group?

• Ask your Regional Center service coordinator.
• Ask your support staff.
• Ask your friends.
• Call 211 - Ask about support groups for people with developmental disabilities.
• Call your local Area Board.
• Go online and search for support groups.

More about Maria and her family...

• The family went to a counselor several times.
• He helped them talk to each other.
• They shared ideas about:
  • What makes people angry
  • How to get rid of anger
  • How to do positive things every day - like telling each other something good that happened
• They are getting along much better these days!

Learn more on the DDS SafetyNet:

• Read about depression.