Does it Work? The Efficacy of Mental Health Counseling

Talk about mental health counseling is becoming more and more common these days. That is a good thing, as there should not be stigma about addressing mental health needs. Decreasing stigma leads to increasing access to mental health care. Mental health counseling is a form of care and according to research, it is pretty effective!

Various studies about mental health counseling exist. A study from the 1980’s showed improvement in 50% of clients after eight sessions, and 75% improvement after 6 months (Howard, Kopta, Krause, & Orlinsky, 1986). A majority of individuals in Verywell Mind’s recent “Cost of Therapy Survey” (84%) stated satisfaction with their progress towards counseling goals, and 78% believed that counseling helped them move towards the goals (Cherry, 2023). Numerous studies address outcomes from specific types of mental health counseling (e.g. cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT; dialectical behavioral therapy, DBT, etc.). The effectiveness of counseling, though, is more than numbers, though. It is also about what people learn through the process.

Mental health counseling clients can gain a number of benefits from mental health counseling. They can uncover thinking and feeling patterns, learn skills to manage stress and anxiety, process life changes, and gain insights that improve relationships (Avila University, 2022). Counseling is a safe space where individuals can express emotions and build self-esteem (Montare Behavioral Health, n.d.). With their counselors, individuals can work toward desired life changes and scaffold the decisions needed to make them. In counseling, clients can problem solve and gain skills for improved functioning in all of life. These benefits can be hard to measure in numerical terms, but in terms of life satisfaction, are immense!

Mental health counseling is beneficial for the brain, too. It can not only help alleviate symptoms, but can also actually change the brain by creating new neuropathways and ways of thinking (Goman & Gorman, 2018; Malhotra & Sahoo, 2017; Mason et al., 2017). These changes typically last far beyond the date of counseling termination (American Psychological Association, 2012; Levy & Ablon, 2010; Shedler, 2010). For this reason, counseling is sometimes considered more effective treatment for mental health conditions than medication (Westra, n.d.). This is not to say that individuals struggling with mental health conditions should not seek medication, but that mental health counseling also plays an effective role in alleviating concerns.

There are certainly individuals for whom mental health counseling is not effective. This is generally due not to the counseling itself, but due to a poor relationship with the therapist, or a poor quality of care (Cummins, 2022). Client engagement also makes a difference in outcomes, so client commitment to the process is key for clients who want results (J. Flowers Health Staff, n.d.). In short, counselors and clients must work together to make mental health counseling effective.

Mental health counseling will certainly not cure all of society’s ills. There is still need for medication and self-care, not to mention economic, ecological, and sociological changes. Pursuing mental health counseling is a step individuals can take towards creating effective change, however, and it will work if they work at it. Perhaps addressing individual needs will be a catalyst for changing the larger needs of the country and world.