Risks and Benefits of Therapy: There are risks as well as benefits of therapy. There are no guarantees with counseling. Stirring up old painful feelings creates distress for some. Merely talking about issues with a stranger is difficult for some. Exploring relationship issues is often difficult and there is often the hope that others will make more changes than they do. Some issues are much harder to treat than others are. Sometimes the problems that exist between the client and others are played out between the client and the therapist. Clients come with a mixed set of assumptions, both looking forward to change, but deep down resisting change and finding it hard to let go of old patterns. Thus the role of the counselor is to confront those feelings and actions. And that can be sometimes painful and upsetting.

On the other hand, the benefits of therapy have been well documented by research. Clients can learn better ways to handle stress, they are able to talk through and resolve issues, and they can learn better communication styles. Parents can learn to handle discipline better, and learn to gain cooperation from family members. Many people in counseling report an improvement in the quality of their life. Many people report less stress, fewer conflicts and a generally improved sense of well-being.