How did I end up in counselling?

It began with a few weeks of low mood, probably from the accumulation of tension and stress during that period. Back then I lacked the right coping mechanisms to process my situation to get myself out from the stressors. As such my situation was weighing me down to the point where I was mostly on the verge of crying and it affected my appetite. As a food lover, appetite changes are really new to me, which made me think something is not quite right.

I started wondering if I am showing depression symptoms and other downward spiral thoughts. I was getting lost in myself. One day I just thought I needed to reach out to keep myself in check and that's when I contacted SOS (Samaritans of Singapore)

1. SOS

I got a response pretty quickly (in 5 mins) and for that I'm grateful. As the responses from the volunteer are protocols, conversations are monotonous and are not helpful in the moment. I believe their main purpose is to check if one has any suicidal thoughts and ensure the safety of the person. However the chat room provided me with a space to express myself which for me, is helpful in allowing my mind to sort out thoughts through my words

The conversation ended after I showed to have no suicidal thoughts, followed by recommendations on where I can seek help. I was recommended to CHAT which was supposedly able to offer immediate response

2. CHAT

I first checked out the online chat with the organisation but could not get any response after an hour. I then went through their assessment form to get an appointment. The appointment will seek to assess my mental health.

An appointment was arranged 3 weeks from my first contact with CHAT. That would be about 4 weeks since my first contact with SOS due to my hesitation.

The appointment was carried out with 2 of CHAT's staff which lasted roughly 1.5 hour. Honestly no takeaways or help from the session, merely a space for me to vocalise my situation. I remember ending the session wondering what's suppose to be next because there wasn't a proper follow up from the session. No updates on the potential study I could participate in, no updates about the result of the assessment. Or perhaps I missed out their conclusion during the session itself. Eventually through my WhatsApp conversation with a CHAT staff when I asked if the session was the mental health check, the staff replied >

"Yep that was the mental health check. So based on what you have shared, your experiences don’t really point in the direction of a mental illness, which is great :) Nevertheless, in view of the multiple transitions and stressors that you are going through right now, it is good to have a cautionary approach by considering professional help. That way, we can work on the current anxiety symptoms and prevent them from getting worse."

I was then redirected to some counselling centres near my home which I then picked one I deemed suitable for me while considering price and location.

3. Counselling Centre

2 weeks after the session with CHAT, I landed myself my first counselling session. Here is where I felt my journey truly started. Over the multiple sessions with my counsellor, we got to iron out a structure that worked well for me. With each session we got better at dissecting my situations and opening new perspectives to how I can cope with my problems. I'm glad and grateful that I'm on this path of self discovery and growth.

Yes there are SOPs that counsellors follow like which results in multiple changes in their feedback form and wellness tracking form. I go along with it anyway, trying my best to keep an open mind to see how new practices may help me.

#MentalHealth #counselling #therapy #selfdevelopment #lifejourney