There are several reasons why someone chooses to become a paranormal investigator.  It could be the memory of a paranormal experience that left one looking for answers, the thrill of experiencing the unknown, the genuine desire to help others, or maybe all of the above.  Regardless of the motivation, paranormal investigators are called upon to help people who cannot find it elsewhere.  Many feel it is a calling; I also like to view it as a privilege and a blessing to help these individuals. 

Because it is a helping relationship, solid counseling skills are critical to ensure successful resolution of the case.  Ideally, every paranormal group would include a mental health professional, such as a counselor or psychotherapist, who has the skills, training and expertise to provide specialized help to your clients.  If you can find one, count your lucky stars!  Unfortunately, this is not always possible because paranormal phenomena are not YET widely accepted as experiences of mentally “healthy” individuals.  As a result, these professionals are often unwilling to help beyond placing a diagnostic label and prescribing psychotropic medication for hallucinations and delusions.  It is a battle I am fighting, and I plan to win.  Until then, your investment in being a counselor, in addition to an investigator, is vital, and with time and effort will result in a win-win situation for you and your clients.

When a client calls your paranormal group, they are usually at the end of their proverbial rope.  Often they have attempted to get help from doctors, psychiatrists, social workers, plumbers, electricians, religious clergy, friends, family members, and so on, but to no avail.  Because paranormal investigation is not considered a mainstream hobby or profession, for someone to call us, they may be risking ridicule by people close to them and probably feel that they have no other option.  You can hear the desperation in their voices, and their apprehensive optimism that you won’t think they are “crazy” too.  Even if something paranormal is occurring, I have discovered that most clients have also faced mental health issues, or at least extreme emotional turmoil, at some point in their lives.  Why this is the case, I don’t know.  Does one cause the other?  Do they feed off of each other?  Each case is different.  What I do know is that, whether it turns out to be paranormal or not, clients are frantically looking for help, for hope, and for someone to believe them, support them and validate their experiences.  If you, the paranormal investigator, can provide this for them it will be a rewarding experience for everyone involved on many different levels.

It is important to communicate to your group members and to your clients that your main objective is to provide assistance, support and answers.  Clients are not looking for someone to come in and take over their home, get some footage, and leave, never to be heard from again.  As interest in paranormal investigation continues to grow, more and more groups are forming all over the country.  Even if you are the only group in your geographical area, many groups are so eager for cases that they will travel quite far for an investigation.  Therefore, you must think from a potential client’s point of view.  You have two groups to choose from:  one clearly states on their website or marketing brochures that their primary goal is to help clients understand and resolve paranormal issues, and that they will work with the client for as long as it takes to make that happen; the second group simply state their credentials, display a list of unrecognizable equipment, and show evidence they have captured.  As a scared and desperate client, which group would you choose to be your life raft?  Our clients allow us to access their deepest secrets, fears, and their private space.  We have a responsibility to help them to the best of our ability, and by doing so, they will be more willing to comply with all aspects of our investigation.  Furthermore, after this initial positive experience, they will be happy to invite you back to investigate in the future and will even refer their friends and family to you, leading to more investigations – it’s mutually beneficial! 

In entries to follow, I will tell you how to utilize counseling theory and skills in paranormal investigations, which will allow your group to rise to the next level of professionalism and boost your reputation.  By conveying that you are empathetic, patient, kind, responsive, reliable, understanding, knowledgeable, and non-judgmental you will leave a lasting, positive impression.  Think of our relationship with our clients as a symbiotic partnership:  we need them to conduct the necessary research to advance in this field and to pursue this passion that we all share, and they, in turn, desperately need our assistance and expertise.  We must do our best to give them just that, and not just so we can continue our pursuit of paranormal investigation, but to make the ultimate contribution of leaving this world a better place than it was when we entered it.

Please feel free to contact me anytime at jlhcounselor@gmail.com.