Sharing information in an environment that is non-judgmental and caring often helps relieve the emotional pressure caused by keeping our thoughts and feelings to ourselves. Counseling, however, is more than just talking. It is also a way of understanding who we are and how we relate to the world around us, by focusing attention on underlying dynamics about which we may have been previously unaware. This provides new ways of looking at our problems and opens up new choices about how to handle these problems. I'm betraying my family.
Counselors are sensitive and respectful of concerns about family traditions and privacy.
If conflicts about loyalty to family and culture are of concern, these issues can be discussed in the first session before more personal matters are addressed. I'm so awkward and shy, I wouldn't know what to say. Counselors are trained to facilitate communication between people. Usually, after an initial period of shyness, comfortable rapport emerges and talking becomes easier and more relaxed. If I talk about my problems, I'll just make them worse.