OMI Colombo Sri Lanka

General Counselling

The need of counselling in today's context

As the world becomes busier and busier, the need for counselling increases. People are faced with many challenges in life, can be very isolated, need trauma counselling or just need support. Add to this list the need for addiction counselling, depression, mental and behavioral health and you have a myriad of reasons for the need of counselling.

Counselling may help those who are struggling in the world. They may help them to deal with personal issues such as loss of a job or a divorce. This can be a very stressful time for anyone. A counsellor can help the person to get back on their feet and feel empowered and stronger than ever. Counselling may help the person to let go of the past and start over without feeling guilty.

My Work and Experience as a counsellor

I am practising General Counselling since 2013 and working as a visiting lecturer at Philosophy Department, National Seminary, Ampitiya, Kandy; St. Joseph Vaz Theological College, Colombo 08 and Oblate Higher Institute of Learning, Colombo 10. As well, conduct counselling workshop for students in schools, seminaries, youth groups, and organize group counselling and family counselling for adults in various institutes and parishes.

In my Counselling I help people to manage their own problems. I create a healthy relationship using my counselling knowledge and a set of skills and attitudes to help people manage their own problems, using their own resources. As such, it is a process of joint responsibility.

It involves creating a climate that will encourage people to explore ideas and issues with me. In doing so it also involves an active, structured process of understanding, challenging and resourcing (problem solving).

Counselling is important for people who are communicating about:

Deficits in developmental stages
Performance issues
Managing learning(education) skills
Discipline issues
Absenteeism
Personal problems
Positive feedback
Depression
Anger management
Abnormal behaviour
Phobias

Career guidance and goals
Problem solving
Family disputes
Psychosexual issues
Emotional matters
Relationship problems
Traumatic experiences
Stress
Difficulties in adjusting to retirement and etc
Addictions

Some of the Major theories I practice in counselling and psychotherapy:

Gestalt psychology

founded by Max Wertheimer. It focused on studying mental processes and behaviours as ‘wholes’ rather than trying to separate them into discrete functions or parts and held the view that ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’.

Psychoanalytic theory - Sigmund Freud

argued for the role of the unconscious and other internal processes in human behaviour and mental disorders and his work formed the foundation of psychoanalytic theory.

Positive psychology

Influenced by Carl Rogers and founded by Martin Seligman. It arose from the observation that psychologists generally focus on the negative side of human behaviour while largely neglecting the more positive aspects of human experience and focused on discovering and promoting factors that allow individuals and communities to thrive.