Dialog With Councelor About Feeling Stress at Home

Counselor: Hi please come in, and take seat and be comfortable nice of you to come on short notice. B

efore I start, I would like to point out; I m a student studying counseling skills at Seneca College. I am learning counselling skills hence I am required to practice counseling skills with volunteers such as yourself. Again I really appreciate your willingness to take part in my class assignment. Please be assured, the information your telling me today is confidential unless you or a family members were at imminent risk. In that case I would have to tell someone appropriate. but I am here to support you.

And as a student, I will be sharing this information with my professor, so I cant offer any legal confidentially, however everything you tell me will remain confidential except for certain exception that the law may require me to report to the authorities. In that case I must report in situations where there is a threat of serious harm to you or any indication of child abuse or neglect or, any other conditions required by the law.

And I will be recording this session, for my personal learning and listening, if you feel uncomfortable with this at any time we can turn off the recorder. This recording may be shared with my professor, and students in my class. And I would like to make a recording of this session for you, and I want to do it with your permission, is that okay.

One last thing I should let you know is that, I am an inexperienced counsellor this is my first time doing this and I dont have any formal counseling or skill. And this practice session it will help me to learn helping skills that are required in counseling. Just to let you know this is how the whole thing works. Lets start is it okay if we start.

Okay, its really nice to meet you, I wonder if you wanted to say something about what brings you hear today, is there anything specific?

Client: Well theres a few reasons Im here, I just want to know basically Im just concerned that nobody hears this just you and I, as you mentioned your colleagues as well professor right so it wont go any further cause I dont feel comfortable discussing my personal problems.

Counsellor: I understand that is the issue and again like I said it will just be my professor and myself.

Client: Okay thats fine as I mentioned I have never been to counselling before and I feel really weird and strange today. But I have a lot of thing going on at home and I wanted to know how I can make all this work at home.

Councilor: I understand where you are coming from, because for a lot of us coming to counselling seems like a very big task and so in terms of that respect the fact that you are here and well do our best to help you resolve the issue so thats fine. Now if I have to question; have you seen a counselor before on this issue or any other issue?

Client: No, see thats the thing Ive never been to counselling before and it just seems so weird to come here today. But I thought let me go on and talk to someone, this is great that I can come here and talk to you, it is good for me.

Counsellor: And was there any other thing that brought you here today?

Client: Yes, the reason Im here today Is that I have been having a lot of stress, at home; you know I cant sleep Im having sleepiness nights, also Im having deep anxiety attacks and this is bothering me a lot.

Counselor: Im really sorry to hear that I understand what you must be going through being unable to sleep and having these anxiety attacks it can definitely cause a lot of stress. So please tell me more if you can?

Client: Well yes you know as I mentioned with these attacks I am worried and concerned about how things are going on with my family life, with my husband about how hes not helping me at home and that really bothers and affects me.

Counsellor: So I understand what youre saying, obviously you are saying you have lots of stress at home, and this is causing you a lot of anxiety attacks is that correct?

Client: Yes, thats correct.

Counsellor: And you are also very concerned about the impact on your family?

Client: Yes, it affects me a lot with everything going on, yes.

Counsellor: So if I ask you, what do you think is the main cause of your stress and anxiety?

Clients: I guess the main cause of my stress and anxiety is that I am not getting any help at home. I have to do all the chores from the laundry to the cooking, taking out the garbage and this is causing a lot of anxiety because I work all day I come home and I have to do this and I dont get any help from my husband at all he doesnt assist me. He is tired and he just comes and goes to sleep.

Counsellor: I understand where youre coming from and I too feel the need to keep our very house a clean house and a tidy one.

Client: You know an Im a very clean and tidy person and thats why it bothers me more. I need the house spick and span, no its been like that I come home to a messy house and it really bothers me, upsets me.

Counselor: So in your estimation what seems to be the problem from your point of view that is?

Client: I think the main problems is that Im a clean person and want to live in a clean house and I know he likes that too but and thats why I wish that he would help me you know with the laundry, take out the garbage wash the dishes, just little things like that would help me and thats what bothers me is throwing out the garbage and just those basic chores that make life easier for me.

Counsellor: Basically what your telling me is that you would like to live in a clean house and you would like your husband to help you sometimes with the chores such as destroying the garbage and washing the dishes is this correct:

Client: Yes, you are correct, exactly correct thats how I feel yes.

Counsellor: Okay and have you spoken to your husband about this problem?

Client: Yes, Ive made attempts several times he says, he will help me out, but then when I tell him this, he says he doesnt want to help I just give up I think hell think Im nagging him so I never ask him to help me anymore I just do everything on my own.

Counsellor: How does this problem make you feel?

Client: I feel very angry thats how I feel, it upsets me.

Counsellor: Im sorry to hear about the fact that you feel angry and the fact that you get upset too well and how does your husband feel?

Client: He feels angry, agitated and when I ask him to help out with house hold chores. And I dont want to make him to get upset you know but thats how he feels.

Counsellor: so basically youre telling me you are worried about your husband getting upset, is that correct?

So you said, you are worried about your husband being upset at you.

Client: Yes, that really bothers me, I am worried thats why Ive given up I dont even talk about it I do everything on my own.

Counsellor: And you have told your husband how you feel, when youve done this has he had any response when youve told him about how you feel?

Client: You know Ive tried several times but you know to be honest no I havent, because I know that even If I complain hes not going to listen to me. Ive tried several attempts and it hasnt helped

Counsellor: Perhaps maybe you should even try talking to him, and tell him how living in a messy house would make both of you feel.

Client: You know Im going to try and make another attempt and I will tell him again how I feel.

Counsellor: Okay thats good before I go on is there anything else is there anything else you would like to say?

Client: Well the only thing I wanted to find out, you see I have to go somewhere else today, how long do you think this session will be?

Counsellor: another ten minutes or so it takes about 20 minutes or so we should be finished by that time.

Client: And I like to make notes so is it okay if I do that while we talk?

Counsellor: Well you could make notes but like as I said at the beginning of our interview that I will make a copy of these and if you like I will be very happy to send you a copy when were done that way you will have an idea of what was said during todays session.

Client: Okay and also does this happen quite a bit do you find like theres problems in the family like these type of things of chores or am I the only one sometimes I wonder.

Counsellor: No, I would say youre not alone were all in the situation its probably part of living in a modern life we have all work to do as you said like you said when we come home we still have chores to do like you stated your husband is tired you understand what hes going through thats the issue, these sessions in my estimation is that they do work is just a matter of discussing these and getting things right .

Counsellor: If you could wave a magic wand, what changes would you make happen in your life?

Client: I would go back to school and get a better job this way I could hire someone else to do my chores and that would help me a lot. Secondly I could get my husband to participate in household chores such as cleaning, doing the dishes throwing the garbage just the simple things that would help me around the house make my life much easier.

Counsellor: What do you expect from this counseling process today, anything specific you would like to get resolved?

Client: I was hoping that this will help me so that when I go home I can come up with a conclusion of what to do at home on what was bothering me the most. So Im hoping that I will get the most out of this session.

Counsellor: What would it take to make you happy and satisfied today? Is there anything specific?

Client: I think that if he (my husband) would be more responsible and help me out at home that would take out a lot of the stress that Im having right now and thats why Im here today and I hope this session will help. I hope when he comes next time Ill bring him it might help. I hope you can help us with this.

Counsellor: How do you deal with stress and is there anything in particular in your daily life that you do relieve stress?

Client: Yes, I do, I do Yoga that helps me a lot to deal with my stress. I love walking, long walks I go for long walks in the trails. Also music, I find music really easing, I feel really good with music and thats some of the ways I get rid of my stress at home.

Counsellor: What in your estimation would make things better from your point of view?

Client: Well I guess my main concern is if my husband would cooperate with me and share some of the responsibilities at home. Like I said I do all the chores by myself and thats whats creating all this stress Im having and the anxiety attacks. I wish he could participate more and help me out that would make life much easier for me.

Counsellor: And is there anything else you would like to talk to me about during this session?

Client: Well basically I just wanted to know how long this will take, you mentioned about this 20 minutes right?

Counsellor: Were almost done about 20 minutes

Client: You think it will be very effective if I bring him?

Counsellor: I think that will be a good opportunity to discuss and resolve the issues. That way he will know how his issues are affecting you and how theyre affecting him and you have told me that theyre causing you a lot of stress and anxiety. Perhaps if he heard and saw all those things then he would be more understanding so I think its almost like a good idea to bring him.

Client: So my concern was that when you do the counselling will you counsel him first, then me or both of us in the same room? How does this happen?

Counsellor: We have individual counselling sessions as well, you could do that first and then we could also do both of you together thats another option as well. Some instances individual...