It’s rare that someone would come for counseling because things are going great. People typically seek support when things aren’t going well. They have painful relationships, or problematic habits or they have a big decision to make and they are unsure about which path to choose. Because people come to counseling to address difficulties, it makes sense that difficult topics would be discussed. But this is only half the story. Part of becoming a healthier person is learning to acknowledge and accept the range of human emotion. If that’s the case then joy, excitement, victory and celebration must be welcome in the counseling room as well. These experiences are not to be relegated to the cheap seats while pain, sorrow and anxiety somehow get bumped to the first row. Sometimes we fear that the good stuff is unworthy of discussion in the counseling room. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because those feelings seem shallow or we worry that discussing them is a waste of time. But isn’t experiencing the good stuff what we seek from counseling in the first place? Aren’t we coming for more joy, more love, more enthusiasm and a more genuine experience of the world? It’s ok to feel good. It’s ok to share that with someone who cares. It’s hard to party alone! So yes we will talk about disappointment, sorrow and confusion, but we will also talk about fun, laughter, and celebration, because these too are part of what it means to be human.
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