What to expect

About mental health
It’s very common for humans worldwide to experience a time in their life that things are not going so well and there are issues with their mental health. People with mental health problems might feel stressed, confused, depressed, emotional & sad, short tempered, have sleepless nights, can’t concentrate or are obsessed about a particular topic.

These feelings may have a specific cause, for instance, the loss of a loved one. Other triggers include traumatic events, such as witnessing or experiencing violence in the past or more recently. Mental health can also be influenced by our environment like the media we consume. A mental disease can be cured, just as any physical disease and the first step would be making an appointment with a counsellor to start acknowledging your emotions and talk about them.

About individual counselling
In counselling, we focus on making people mentally stronger and prevent that a mental problem occurs. It’s often done by letting the client talk about emotions, realize and accept a situation and from there start working towards a solution for this client. In clinical psychotherapy we work on healing a person who is suffering from a mental health disease. In both cases we start with a first intake session and continue to let the participant express his / her emotions and feelings and let the person quietly think and discuss how to get to a better situation.

How to make an appointment?
If you are ready to start working on improving your mental health, together with one of our experienced counsellors, then it’s time to call us to make an appointment (09-784 509 916) or use Facebook messenger (www.facebook.com/counsellingcornermyanmar) or email: admin@counsellingcornermyanmar.com.
We are open from Monday till Saturday from 08:30 am – 05:30 pm for sessions through Zoom or face to face.  When making an appointment we will briefly ask you what the issue is and then ask you to fill in a “client intake form”. The face to face sessions are at our counselling centre at Bogalay Zay Street.

Intake interview
We offer an initial meeting through Zoom or in a face to face session for one hour with you. This is to discuss the services you require from us and to make you understand in detail the benefits of the therapy. The counsellor than will discuss with you a plan to move forward through weekly sessions of 50 minutes. On average we aim to achieve a noticeable improvement within 10 sessions.

Therapy Methods
Counselling Corner Therapists have training in a variety of techniques that can help you better cope with mental illness, resolve personal issues, and create personal changes in your life. Finding out what approach or combination of approaches your therapist will use, can give you a better idea of what will happen during your sessions. Some common types of therapy include:

  • Client-centered therapy (person-centered therapy): A non-directive form of talk therapy that emphasizes on positive unconditional regard
  • Psychoanalytic or psychodynamic therapy: Focuses on getting in touch with and working through painful feelings in the unconscious mind.
  • Cognitive or cognitive-behavioural therapy: Focuses on making connections between thoughts, behaviour and feelings
  • Solution-focused: a future-focused, goal-directed approach to therapy that highlights the importance of searching for solutions rather than focusing on problems

Confidentiality
A therapist is required to keep information discussed during therapy private. We practice confidentiality according to Australian Counselling Association (ACA)’s “Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct” and the counsellor must:

  • Communicate the concept of confidentiality with their clients on an ongoing basis and do so in a culturally sensitive way.
  • Inform clients about the limitations of confidentiality regarding what situations information must be disclosed (e.g., to protect clients or others from harm).
  • Keep client’s personal information in a private vault and not on a cloud for privacy concerns.

What you should ask
When the therapist finishes the session, he / she should ask you if you have any further questions. You can use this opportunity to get to know your therapist a little better by asking more about his training, experience, approaches, and goals for therapy. Examples of questions to consider before your first intake session

  • Will you briefly explain what I can expect to happen in my sessions?
  • How many sessions will it take to resolve my issue?
  • What do you expect me to do or prepare in the coming weeks?

Is the therapist right for you?
A big part of successful therapy is feeling comfortable with your therapist, which may come over time. However, if after a few meetings, you’re just not clicking, you do have the choice to seek out another therapist. To determine if you’re receiving the best care from your therapist, we recommend asking yourself the following questions:

  • Does the therapist guide you to your goals?
  • Does the therapist show acceptance and compassion?
  • Does the therapist challenge you?
  • Does the therapist check-in with you?
  • Does the therapist help you learn?
  • Does the therapist treat you as an equal?

If your answer to any of these questions is “No,” then it’s likely time to consider changing therapists. At the end of your session, just tell your therapist that you will not be returning. Don’t be surprised if your therapist asks why. You can answer honestly (you just feel like you’re not clicking) or just say that you prefer not to say. In most cases, your therapist will be professional and can recommend another therapist who will be a better fit.

Myanmar cultural advantages to use individual counselling  
Counselling and psychotherapy is very new in Myanmar yet taking care of your own mental well-being is actually common in Myanmar; many people practice meditation. Talking about your emotions and digging deeper in your thoughts is not often done and we understand it can be a bit difficult in the beginning. To make it easier to express your feelings, we do all sessions in Myanmar language by professional Myanmar counsellors who understand the Myanmar family culture and traditions.

Our therapist / counsellors 
Counselling Corner has a team of excellent counsellors and psychotherapists who have been trained overseas and in Myanmar. Each counsellor has his or her own area of specialisation, which helps us assign the right person for you. Our counsellors receive regular supervision to ensure they find the best solutions and strategies for their clients. For more information, please visit us here: www.counsellingcornermyanmar.com/your-therapist

Rates and CSR
The costs for an individual counselling session is 50.000 Kyats and can be paid in cash after your session or by bank transfer. As a socially involved organisation, we want to actively support the individuals and communities we are part of and we do contribute to the mental well-being and development of the mental health profession in Myanmar.

Cancellation of a session
We understand that sometimes you need to change the date for a session. Please inform us minimum 24 hours in advance so we can give the allotted time slot to somebody else and we don’t need to charge the fees for the last minute cancelled session. In case you cancel or change an appointment more than 3 times, we will have to charge 1 session cancellation fees.

Find your own path again
Counselling is based on talking and listening with the aim to get to a situation where a client feels he / she sees “a light at the end of the tunnel” and can move forward on his / her own feet again. Counselling is not about getting an advice from a therapist and telling you what to do. Instead it’s about listening to yourself and understanding what you need to work on in order to get a positive result. Most of the benefit comes from being able to express yourself in your own terms, so you gain a better understanding of yourself, in a non-judgmental setting. A counsellor can only help a client in “self-understanding” as the answer to solve a problem has to come from within the client.

Get in touch!
We understand the first step is always the most difficult; don’t worry, we’re here to help! Get in touch with us to make a first appointment or discuss further how we can help yourself or people close to you: