GOODWILL TALKING

WITHOUT SHAME

When Israel Lobo started university, he knew he wasn’t feeling good. There was the stress of being away from friends and family, but worst of all, he had that overwhelming feeling that he was an imposter who didn’t belong there in the first Goodwill Talking place. And yet when a peer suggested he seek counselling, the 23-year-old Capilano University student wasn’t ready. Breaking down the counselling “There is still a social stigma around counselling, and I didn’t want other stutaboo in post-secondary institutions. dents to judge me,” says Lobo, who moved to Vancouver from Mexico City in 2018. by EDUARDO GEVENEZ “Back in my home country, counselling is often [only] seen as an option for someone unstable or mentally ill.” Despite national campaigns like Bell Let’s Talk, which encourage Canadians

to make mental health a broader part of the conversation, Lobo’s case isn’t unusual. In 2021, a survey conducted by Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse indicated that a year into the pandemic, 65 percent of students reported having poor mental health. And yet, only 15 percent engaged in counselling services offered at their post-secondary institutions. Students often require guidance, whether it’s selecting the right courses, or a career that makes them happy— and when navigating difficult times in their lives. But there’s still much to be done to encourage reluctant students to take advantage of free and accessible counselling services on campus.

The rollercoaster of emotions that many students (particularly first-year students) feel such as loneliness, stress and anxiety is normal: starting university is a huge milestone in a person’s life. Like with any major change, there is a period of adjustment involved, but these emotions may easily develop into something more difficult to control, such as overwhelming stress or mental illness, such as depression. Still, old taboos and stigmas can plague that first tentative step to the couch. “[There are] many reasons students refrain from seeking counselling: cultural and family values, religion, guilt, fear and skepticism are just some of them,” says Ana Bell, a clinical counsellor and psychotherapist in Vancouver. “There is a commonality to all these factors and that is the lack of knowledge about what a counselling process is and how it works.” Bell also notes that discussing mental health is still a recent phenomenon. “The practice of counselling is relatively new,” she says, “compared to other procedures such as medical care.”

And, she notes, that first session can be particularly nerve-wracking. There’s an underlying fear of the unknown: Will the counsellor ask a lot of questions? Will they ask about my past? Do I need to talk about my traumas?

But the truth is that professionals handle first sessions with a client a little differently. Some may even encourage their clients to ask questions about the counsellor’s own lives, training, or experiences in the first session. “As with any initial meeting, you both will get to know each other,” says Bell. “The first session is a conversation with more details about what is happening in your life, and the most important thing is that you feel free and safe to share your thoughts and emotions there. There is also a confidentiality contract and discussion about boundaries.”

For Lobo, once he decided to give counselling a chance, he found that the experience was better than he expected. “I was initially intimidated, but I felt as if I was talking to a longtime friend,” he says. “I did not find it hard to open up to a stranger. My counsellor kept eye contact, and I could feel she deeply cared about me.”

One of the biggest misconceptions about counselling is that it’s only intended to treat severe clinical mental illness, or to help alleviate the most severe traumas. However, the beauty of therapy is that it’s quite the opposite — it’s designed to help with nearly every aspect of both the academic and personal lives of students, from the seemingly benign to the most devastating. For instance, school counsellors can help students with career or vocational concerns, including career exploration and planning, and offer a wide range of educational and occupational information. Counsellors can also help students be more productive, teach them how to optimize their time, stimulate creativity, promote problem-solving and teamwork—but in a way that doesn’t lead to burnout. Through counselling, students can also strengthen their sense of self, and gain more clarity around their values and professional goals.

Ultimately, however, a counsellor isn’t there to solve every problem. Instead, they’ll focus on helping students understand what can and cannot be changed. “I am very sorry to break your heart here, but a therapist will not provide you with the perfect solution and the right answers,” says Bell. A counsellor is there, she says, to help you find the answers while you navigate difficult life decisions. “Let me reinforce this: you are the only master of your life. Counselling is a collaborative effort between the counsellor and client.”

Ultimately, for students to support mental health on campus, the most important thing everyone can do is to eliminate the stigma of reaching out for help. And Bell notes, it really begins with one simple step. “Once you’ve found a counsellor to meet with, part of the work is already done,” says Bell. “You’ve started your journey to self-improvement, and this shows how much strength you truly have.” ■

MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS

Here are the 5 most common misconceptions about counselling.

COUNSELLING IS A SIGN OF WEAKNESS. Quite the opposite! You can feel perfectly fine emotionally and attend therapy for personal development and to learn more about yourself.

OTHERS WILL THINK I AM CRAZY! “It is not ‘crazy’ to go for counselling. It is ‘crazy’ to deny the need for it and dismiss how poor mental health can negatively impact someone’s life,” says Ana Bell.

WHAT IF SOMEONE ELSE FINDS OUT? Confidentiality is central to the counselling process. Under normal circumstances, no one outside is given any information without the client’s expressed written consent.

IT’S TOO EXPENSIVE. Most post-secondary institutions in Vancouver and Canada offer free counselling services. In B.C., the government also provides Here2Talk, a mental-health counselling and referral service for post-secondary students.

I CAN ALWAYS TALK TO MY FRIENDS. Friends can provide outstanding support and empathy, and that’s also very important. But a counselling relationship is different in an important way: therapists must remain non-judgmental and place the well-being of the client above all else.