Both mediation and counseling help people who are experiencing difficulties. It’s important to know the difference between them as each one has its own unique processes to help people in different ways. Let’s examine each.
Counseling is a process that helps individuals understand their thoughts and feelings. It tends to be focused on a specific issue, but could expand. It is often used to help people deal with issues like grief, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.
Counseling can also help individuals struggling with life transitions or decisions. It can be used to help with career decisions, marriage, and other life choices. Counseling helps people develop strategies to cope with obstacles that they may be facing. It may take many turns depending on the style of the counselor and number of issues the client is dealing with.
A counselor is a person trained to give guidance on personal, social, or psychological problems. They can provide unbiased guidance and offer resources to help individuals make important decisions or change behaviors. Counseling usually involves family members and not outside parties.
Mediation is a limited-time process that helps parties in conflict to reach a resolution on a specific topic. The expectation is that all parties are interested in making a good faith effort to resolve the case. It’s often used in family disputes, workplace disputes and other conflicts, such as a Michigander’s dispute that may come up when working with a Community Mental Health (CMH) provider or a Prepaid Inpatient Health Plan (PIHP).
A mediator is a neutral person who helps people involved in a conflict come to an agreement. During mediation, the mediator will guide both parties to identify their goals and interests, discuss their perspectives on the conflict, and come up with solutions that are beneficial to both sides. Mediation can be a constructive way of resolving conflicts.
Each of these services can be effective and provide different benefits. It is important to find the right method for you so that you can get the kind of assistance that you need.
Contact us today to find out if you’re eligible for mediation services through MBHMS. You can also call 1-844-3-MEDIATE.