Whether you are stressed about debt; depressed because your partner left you; or completely overwhelmed with trying to raise and provide for a family – we are becoming more aware of how important it is to keep our minds and bodies healthy. However, for many people, asking for help with our thoughts, emotions, and relationships is often one of the most difficult things to do. Many people find this difficult to do because we all worry about how others view us. Most of us want to be seen by others as being strong, healthy, attractive, happy … and so on. So, we may fear that admitting to having problems with our thoughts, emotions, and relationships may lead others to judge us or think we are weak and broken. In reality – the opposite is true. Asking for help is a sign of health and strength. When you are looking for a professional to help you improve the health of your thoughts, feelings, relationships, and/or lifestyle, it can be important to know what you are looking for. People in this field can go by many different titles – counsellor; therapist; life coach; social worker; psychologist; psychiatrist; mental health worker; addictions specialist – are just a few of the ‘job titles’ that may be held by professionals in this field. So how do you know which type of professional can meet your needs?  The first place to start is with knowing what you want. Ask yourself:

• What do I want to change?
• What issues do I think I need help with?
• Why am I seeking help now?
• What types of things have I tried in the past to deal with this situation?

Then, start calling around to see who might be available to help you improve your current situation. You can start by calling local counselling agencies to see what type of professionals they have available. Being clear about the issue or situation you want help with should make it easier for the professional to assess whether or not they can help you prior to even getting you to come in for an appointment. Some questions that might help you find the right type of person to help you are:

• What is your educational background?
• Do you specialize in helping a specific type of person or problem area?
• Have you been successful in helping other people with situations or issues similar to mine?
• What is the fee for this service? or How do I find out if my health insurance will cover this service?

If you start to see a professional to help you improve the health and well-being of your mind; emotions, relationships and/or lifestyle it is important to remember:

• Making changes can be very difficult and can take a lot of practice.
• The only person you can change and take responsibility for is yourself
• You will only get the changes you desire if you are fully committed to doing the work required to make them happen.

Some warning signs that you might not be getting the right kind of help are:

• You are not sure what it is that you should be working on in your life to change your issue or problem, even though you have seen the professional multiple times.
• You have not developed any goals so you know what you are hoping to achieve or work toward.
• You don’t notice any improvement with your situation, even though you have gone to see the professional multiple times
• The professional you are seeing does not seem to want to talk about your concerns that things are not getting better or are staying the same.