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APRIL 17, 2008
Bringing our challenges into focus
How counselors help us see a way through life’s hardships
If you have ever held an object — say, a coin, a key or a marble—right up to your eye, you’ve probably noticed two things: it’s difficult to see the object clearly — and it’s difficult to see anything else.
Life’s challenges are often like that. They can become so large and so dominant in our thoughts that we lose focus on the challenge itself and lose the ability to see it in the full context of our lives.
During such moments, the skilled guidance of a professional counselor can help us gain a new focus on the challenges that we are experiencing. Counselors help us, as it were, pull the problem back into focus so that we can see it for what it is, and see it in relation to other aspects of our lives. At Catholic Charities, our licensed professional counselors provide that service every day to people experiencing all kinds of challenges.
Counseling has long been one of Catholic Charities’ services. We first began offering counseling services in the 1940s, when we focused primarily on pregnancy counseling for unwed mothers and on marital and family counseling to strengthen the relationships between spouses and family members. Our focus has broadened over the years to include counseling for a range of issues or problems people may be dealing with, such as abuse, anger, anxiety, grief and loss, communication, depression, divorce, domestic violence, life skills, self-esteem, stress and substance abuse.
Our counselors are trained and licensed to help people through difficult issues. When someone first comes in, our counselors assess the situation holistically by looking at all the factors at play such as underlying issues, stressors, personal strengths and weaknesses, and support networks. Then they discuss those factors with the client and provide “tools” that can be of help.
A counselor’s guidance
At times, people feel uncomfortable seeking the help of a counselor. We don’t hesitate to contact a doctor when we are ailing physically, but hesitate to contact a counselor when we are ailing mentally or emotionally. My wife Linda and I thankfully got over that many years ago. We have benefited from counselors over the years to resolve issues in our marriage and with our children. Some of our children have benefited from counseling at particularly challenging times in their adolescence. We are so grateful for the assistance that we received and the positive benefits in the quality of our lives.
Our counselors at Catholic Charities have seen innumerable successes in helping individuals and families. We’ve seen a couple who had almost given up on their relationship find a new life together. We’ve helped a child work through his grief over the loss of his mother. We’ve helped a man deal with anger over his divorce and find healthier ways of communicating with his kids and ex-wife. We’ve helped families on the brink of losing custody of their children find ways to stabilize their lives and practice positive life skills so that they can provide for their children.
Because of the great need for counseling among people of all walks of life and in all stages of life, we provide counseling at each of our five service centers and do so on a sliding fee scale based on the client’s ability to pay, which means that anyone can get counseling when they need it.
We all have challenges, but we don’t have to go through them alone. Sometimes we just need someone to help us refocus and find new and more effective ways to resolve a pressing problem. There is no shame in acknowledging that and then getting the help we need.
After all, as Abraham Maslow once said, “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.”
Need to meet with a counselor?
If you or someone you know would like to meet with a counselor, please call us at one of our five regional service centers: Phoenix (602) 997-6105; East Valley (480) 964-8771; West Valley (623) 486-9868; Yavapai (928) 778-2531; or Coconino-Mohave (928) 774-9125.
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