Is counselling worth it? The importance of counselling

By Sakshi Shah, Co-founder, GoodLives. Updated November 1, 2026.

Most of us Google “do I need counselling” twice before we book. You are not being dramatic. You are being careful, and that is a reasonable way to approach anything new.

GoodLives is trusted by 500K+ people, and this is the question we see most. The importance of counselling is not that it fixes you. It is that it gives you one honest hour, with a trained person, in a week that otherwise gives you none.

If you want to see what the matched session itself looks like, our online therapy in India page covers that end of it.

What does counselling actually mean?

Counselling is a one-to-one conversation with a trained mental-health professional, where you talk about what is weighing on you and the counsellor helps you make sense of it. A counselling session usually runs 45 to 50 minutes, online or in person. The person on the other side is listening with a method, not a judgement.

The therapy session meaning is almost the same. “Therapy” tends to be the longer, structured kind, for anxiety, depression, trauma, or patterns from your past. “Counselling” tends to be the shorter, present-day kind: a job change, a breakup, a parent fight you cannot park.

The person doing both is often the same person. The method shifts with what you bring.

A session is not a lecture. The counsellor asks questions. You answer in your own words. You can pause. You can cry, or not. You can say “I don’t know” five times in one hour. That is still a session.

In short: Counselling is a trained hour for the thing you cannot say at home.

“Counselling” or “counseling”: the quick spelling answer

Both are the same thing. Counselling (two L’s) is the usual Indian and British spelling. Counseling (one L) is the American one.

India uses the two-L form in universities, hospitals and the Rehabilitation Council of India, which registers clinical psychologists and rehabilitation counsellors under the RCI Act, 1992. We use “counselling” through this post for that reason.

If a therapist’s website uses “counseling”, it does not mean they are less qualified. It usually means they trained or wrote the page in American English.

In short: Same thing. Different spelling. Pick a counsellor on their work, not their spellcheck.

Why does counselling matter? The importance of counselling in plain words

The importance of counselling is not that it will change your whole life by next Friday. It is three smaller things, which add up.

One, you say the thing out loud, which already lightens it. Two, you get a trained second opinion that your sister or your best friend cannot give you, no matter how much they love you. Three, you walk out with a small plan, in your own words, for the week ahead.

The World Health Organization notes that over 70% of people with common mental health conditions in India do not get care. The WHO’s India country profile is the public source for this gap. Counselling is one of the first doors into that care, and the one with the lowest step.

Here is an honest line, since it belongs here. Counselling does not replace medication for a serious depression or a severe anxiety disorder. Those cases need a psychiatrist as well. A counsellor will tell you if yours is one of them.

In short: Counselling lightens the thought, adds a trained view, and ends with one small step.

How do you know you need counselling?

You do not need to be in crisis to see a counsellor. If a worry has been with you most days for two weeks, if sleep or appetite has shifted and stayed shifted, if a conversation at home or at work keeps looping in your head, counselling is a reasonable next step.

The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 was passed partly so that this step would not need a diagnosis label first; the Act’s Section 18 frames mental healthcare as a right.

You might be thinking, “I should be able to handle this myself.” That thought is one of the common ones. It is also one of the ones that keeps people stuck for months. If it has come up for you, try the small reframe below before you decide.

If you want, take two minutes with this before you read on.

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If the reframe lands at “I can take one hour and see”, that is enough to book an intake call. The call is free on most platforms, GoodLives included. It is not a commitment to a long course.

In short: You do not need a label, a crisis or a plan. Two weeks of the same loop is enough reason.

What happens in a counselling session?

A first counselling session is mostly about getting to know each other, in both directions. The counsellor asks what brought you in, in your own words. You answer at the pace that feels right. There is no form you have to fill out loud. If something is too tender for day one, you say “not today” and move on.

Most online counselling sessions in India are 45 to 50 minutes, on a secure video call. You can take it from your bedroom, your car on a lunch break, or a parent’s spare room with headphones on. How online therapy works walks through the booking and session flow if that is useful.

By the end of session one, you will usually agree on two things with the counsellor: what you want to work on, and roughly how often. You can leave both open. You can also leave the counsellor; a bad fit is a real thing, not a verdict on counselling.

In short: Session one is a two-way interview. You bring what you have. The counsellor brings the method.

The common doubts, honestly answered

These are the questions readers message us most often. Short answers below, in the order they usually arrive.

• “Will my counsellor judge me?” No. A trained counsellor works from the Rehabilitation Council of India’s code of conduct, which treats the client as a person, not a case. Judgement is a sign of a bad fit; look for another.
• “What if I don’t know what to say?” Normal. Counsellors are trained to open the conversation. You can start with “I don’t know why I’m here” and still have a useful hour.
• “How long before I feel better?” For a focused issue like exam stress or a breakup, many people notice a shift in four to eight sessions. For a long-standing pattern, it is a longer conversation. There is no fixed curve.
• “Will my family find out?” No, unless you tell them. Sessions are confidential. Section 23 of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 lays out that right in law. The two legal exceptions are a serious risk to your life or another’s, and a court order.
• “What if I cry? Or can’t cry?” Both are normal in session one. Neither is proof of anything.
• “Can I switch counsellors?” Yes. Fit matters more than loyalty. Most platforms, GoodLives included, let you rematch without starting the whole intake again.
• “Is it okay to Google my counsellor?” Yes. Check their RCI number for clinical psychologists, their degree (M.Phil, M.A. or M.Sc. in Psychology), and their years of practice. Red flags: no credentials on the page, overpromises of a cure, instant guarantees.
• “How much does it cost?” A single session on an Indian platform in October 2026 runs roughly INR 1,500 to INR 3,500 in the metros, by platform and by the counsellor’s experience. See our pricing page for GoodLives’s current plans.
• “Is counselling covered by insurance?” Partly. Under IRDAI’s 2022 directions, mental illness has parity with physical illness in health policies. OPD counselling cover varies by insurer; outpatient riders cover some of it. Ask your HR team or your insurer directly.
• “Can I take sessions in Hindi or a regional language?” Yes. Many Indian counsellors work in Hindi, Hinglish, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam and Punjabi. Online counselling in Hindi covers the Hindi end specifically.
• “Can I bring my partner?” For a one-off, yes. For an ongoing issue between the two of you, couples counselling is a cleaner format. Couples therapy online in India is the longer piece on that.
• “What if I feel worse after a session?” Common in the first few. Talking about something you have avoided for months can leave you tired or raw for a day. If that lasts more than a week, flag it to your counsellor; it is useful information, not a problem to hide.
• “Will I need medication?” Not usually. Most everyday counselling runs without medication. If what you are dealing with is severe or has not shifted in months, your counsellor may suggest you also see a psychiatrist. Medication and counselling can run alongside.
• “What’s online versus in person for me?” Online wins if your schedule, your city or your home privacy makes in person hard. In person wins if you want physical presence, if your home is not safe to speak freely, or if you prefer no screen. Both work for most everyday issues.

In short: The common doubts have real answers. None of them is a reason to stay stuck for another month.

When counselling may not be the next step

This is the paragraph the internet usually skips. Counselling is not the right first step for every reader this week.

If what you need tonight is sleep, a counselling session on Friday is not the fastest tool; a quiet room, a phone off and bed is. If a loved one at home is unsafe, a helpline and the police come before a counsellor. If money is tight this month, a free government service (listed below) is a real option.

If you have tried one counsellor and it did not land, pause for a week before you try another. A bad fit is a real thing. A rushed second booking out of guilt rarely works.

In short: Counselling is one of several doors. Pick the one that opens tonight.

How to pick a counsellor you can trust

Pick a counsellor the way you would pick a GP you plan to see for a year, not the way you pick a food order on a bad night. Look at four things.

• Credentials. An M.A. or M.Sc. in Psychology, or an M.Phil in Clinical Psychology (RCI-registered for clinical work). Years of practice listed.
• Specialisation. Anxiety, depression, relationships, trauma, children, couples. Pick the one closest to your issue.
• Language. The language you are most honest in, not the one that sounds most professional.
• Fit. The intake call tells you most of it in fifteen minutes. If you leave the call lighter, that is a signal. If you leave it stiff, that is also a signal.

Reading a counsellor’s bio helps a journal entry’s worth. A fifteen-minute intake call helps a session’s worth. The second one is cheaper than you think, because it is usually free.

In short: Credentials filter the list. The intake call picks from it.

What to do if cost, stigma or family is in the way

Three practical paths, in rough order of how often they help.

• State and government hospitals (NIMHANS, AIIMS, state psychiatry departments) run OPD counselling at a nominal fee.
• Insurance and HR. Many Indian employers have added mental-health benefits since the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. Ask HR for an EAP (Employee Assistance Programme). Ask your health policy for OPD mental-health cover.
• Family privacy. Session confidentiality is a legal right. If you still want extra cover, book from a device your family does not use, pay from your own account, and schedule when the house is quietest. Many readers do their first three sessions this way; it is normal.

The honest line: journalling and self-help help you spot the loop in your head. Counselling helps you break it. If the loop has been loud for weeks, do not wait for the perfect week to book. Book for an average one.

In short: Cost, stigma and family are solvable one step at a time. Start with the free line if the week is too loud for a booking form.

This post is for information only and is not a substitute for professional care.