Psychological counselors are compassionate people dedicated to providing quality, professional help to those who want and need it. If you're having a hard time with life, dealing with people or understanding yourself, or even if you just want some help navigating through a problem, psychological counseling may be helpful to you.

Psychological counseling is designed to help people deal with behaviors and emotions. It can help people break addictions, manage anxiety or depression and improve their relationships. Psychological counseling gives people the tools they need to effectively work through problems and issues in their lives.

Psychological counseling deals with a huge spectrum of disorders, behaviors, emotions and relationship issues. These can include eating disorders, sex therapy, co-dependency, traumatic stress, communication, drug addiction and intimacy, to name a few. Psychological counseling is usually done one-on-one with a metal health care provider but can also be done in groups or with families (see resources).

The length of psychological counseling can vary. Some mental health providers hold one-hour weekly sessions with their clients for a predetermined amount of time, while others meet more often and are scheduled to continue indefinitely. The duration and frequency of counseling sessions will vary from situation to situation and can be based on individual needs or insurance restrictions.

There are psychological counseling centers across the United States. Centers can provide inpatient or outpatient counseling. Many college campuses provide counseling services for students. Primary care physicians can direct their patients to a mental health professional in their area or individuals can visit the web site of the American Mental Health Counselors Association to find a counselor near them (see resources).

Individuals must have a genuine interest in becoming healthier for counseling to be effective. Resistance, a lack of commitment or a lack of dedication can hamper the counseling process. While it may be tempting to try to force someone to get the help that they need, counseling won't work unless they are ready.