When asked what sort of person might need counselling, most of us would say "not me!" We assume that counselling is a negative thing, however, it can be extremely effective for any person who wants more out of their lives.

Here are 5 key areas of life that counselling can help you with:

Self-esteem

Low self-esteem can hit us at any time and the tell tale sign is the tiny voice inside that tells us we are worthless or failures. It comes from negative beliefs about ourselves and can come at any time we experience rejection -- from a job, a lover for example. If we have positive thoughts about ourselves and positive experiences, we are more likely to have positive beliefs. Counselling can help you to shut off the negative presumptions, stop comparing yourself to others and teach you laugh more.

Confidence

Confidence literally means to have belief in ones self and a lack of confidence will certainly hold a person back from their true potential. A counsellor can assist the client to take charge of their actions, act assertively, maintain flexibility to people and situations, to give genuine praise and accept their weaknesses, to appreciate their achievements, to learn from their mistakes, to take action and to feel like thy are in control.

Trauma

Trauma covers everything from the death of a child to marital reconciliation to retirement. Not all negative things prove to be traumatic, in fact anything that causes major upheaval in life can be traumatic. A counsellor is vital in helping a person through trauma by helping the client deal with intense and unpredictable feelings, by assisting with disrupted thoughts and behaviour patterns, by helping with recurring emotional reactions and by providing ways to avoid straining personal relationships.

Relationships

On the PERI life events scale, relationships feature prominently, with divorce being rated the 5th most stressful experience in a person's life. Other notable cases are separation and marital relationship improves. A counsellor can act as an intermediary to helps a client deal with the pain associated with the loss, to assist with the bigger issues such as custody and property, to help with the strong emotions of anger and guilt, and to acknowledge and deal separately with the emotions, thoughts and actions both parties are having.

Stress/Anxiety

Closely related to the result of trauma, a consellor can help clients to deal with anger, depression, irrational behaviour, lack of concentration, increased smoking, drinking or recreational drug taking, insomnia, and a general feeling that something bad is about to happen. It all comes down to how we cope with a situation and our reaction to it. A qualified counsellor can also help the client with coping skills.

At some point in our lives, all of us will go through traumatic and stressful situations. Our longer term health is closely related to how well we deal with them, so it makes sense to consult with a counsellor, trained in helping clients and these 5 common areas to ensure they can return to normal as soon as possible after the event.