CMR Canada
Employee and Family
Assistance Programs
Serving Canadians for 21 Years
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CMR Canada
Employee and Family
Assistance Programs
|
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CMR Canada - Employee and Family Assistance Programs Box 339, 16 Midlake Blvd. SE, Calgary, Alberta T2X2X7 Telephone 1-800-567-9953 Fax (403) 256-8291 E-mail: cmr@cmrcanada.ca
Counselling and You: What's it All About?  What is counselling? Psychologists apply scientifically validated procedures to help people change their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Psychotherapy is a collaborative effort between an individual and a psychologist. It provides a supportive environment to talk openly and confidentially about concerns and feelings. Psychologists consider maintaining your confidentiality extremely important and will answer your questions regarding those rare circumstances when confidential information must be shared. - source: Alberta Psychological Association Simply stated, counselling is any relationship in which one person is helping another person to better understand and solve some problem. Friends and relatives provide a type of counselling, as do clergy, academic advisors, teachers, and many others. Counsellors have a broad range of experience in developing "helping relationships" and working with many different situations. In counselling we look for what we find good in ourselves. The good can be used as a model for the things we would like to change. Counselling is a change (growth: healing) process in which people (individuals, groups, couples, and families) are helped to:
For those with a humanistic bent, the ultimate
goal for counselling is to help people to recognize and accept
their own internal worth, i.e., to integrate their learned habits
of thinking about themselves (their internal messages and images)
and their learned behaviors (feelings, physical responses, &
actions) to be congruent with who they really are in their essence
(beautiful, loving people). What you can expect from your counsellor You can expect someone who is interested in listening to your concerns and in helping you develop a better understanding of them so that you may deal with them more easily and effectively. Your counsellor will take you seriously and be willing to openly discuss anything you wish to discuss. Expect your counsellor to focus the session on you, and not on others. Because counsellors have different beliefs about how people change, they differ on how much talking they do in sessions, whether they ask you to do "homework," and their focus of discussion. If you have any questions about what is going on, by all means ask. Counsellors have no "magical" skills to solve your problems directly for you. Your counsellor will help you to understand the root of your problem and what you can do to gain more control of your life. Except under unusual circumstances, your counsellor will maintain strict confidentiality about you, and will openly discuss this with you. Your responsibilities in counselling Your main responsibilities in counselling are to attend your regularly scheduled sessions, talk about what is bothering you as openly and honestly as you can, and complete any tasks or "homework" assignments you may be asked to do. You are expected to let your counsellor know if you are unable to make it to a session. Counselling requires openness on your part to the approach and possibly some new experiments the counsellor guides you into. Hesitation and concern about new approaches are natural and are addressed in the counselling process as you become aware and able to discuss them with your counsellor. You are also expected to let your counsellor know when your problems have been solved as well as if you don't feel like you're making any progress. This latter point is most important: your counsellor is most interested in your benefiting from counselling and may be able to employ a different approach or refer you to another therapist. Common difficulties in counselling. One of the most difficult steps in counselling occurs before you even see a counsellor for the first time. Deciding to seek counselling is the first step in change. Once this decision has been made, the mechanics for change have been set in motion. In the process of changing the ways you think and react you usually need to try out new ways of doing things. Also, in the course of counselling you may come to realize that things you once thought of only in a positive or negative way you may see a bit differently. Challenging your perceptions and limitations may cause you some anxiety and frustration, but with commitment, you will find new and exciting aspects of your self and gain more control of your life. Tips on how to benefit from counselling Be prepared for your sessions. Be ready to focus on a specific problem or issue and discuss it with your counsellor. Attend your sessions and take an active part in them. Complete (or at least attempt) any "homework." Tell your counsellor if you think something is helpful or not. Tell you counsellor if you don't feel the sessions are helpful.
For more information on this and other subjects go to Interventions Archive. The EFAP assists you and your family resolve personal problems and maintain healthy and productive lives. Counselling Services Provided
How do I arrange for
counselling and/or get more information?
Your Confidentiality is Guaranteed
CMR Canada PROFILE CMR Canada, a national EFAP management firm founded in Alberta in 1990, delivers programs and services that enhance the health and performance capability of individuals and organizations. The firm delivers services to individuals plus their families in organizations located throughout Alberta - Municipal Governments, Hospitals, Unions, Universities, and Corporations and the General Public. Interventions, the EFAP Journal of CMR Canada, is available to clients without cost. CMR's organization is simple, efficient, and highly effective leaving the majority of resources, financial and human, to provide service to clients and their families. The firm has extensive experience in designing, implementing, resourcing, evaluating, and managing Assistance Programs. CMR has an unlimited supply of qualified professionals to engage as needed. Professionals are partnered or on contract to CMR. Included are Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Family Therapists, Crisis Counsellors, Career Counsellors, and Certified Human Resource Professionals. Working principles: keep the business small; deliver extraordinary personal service; keep the costs low. This highly efficient and effective business model allows CMR to deliver high quality programs and services at lower cost with increased accountability - and select the most experienced and capable professionals. To request more information or a counsellor, click on Request for Service. CMR Canada - Employee and Family Assistance Programs Head Office Box 339, 16 Midlake Blvd. SE Calgary, Alberta T2X2X7 Telephone (403)540-2630 1-800-567-9953. Fax (403)256-8291 E-Mail: CMR Canada Alberta Locations |
