IS IT FOR ME?

It is easy to be worried when considering counselling, especially if it is something you have never sought previously. Finding an answer for these worries might help you to decide whether it is for you. Some thoughts that might occur are:

I worry that I shouldn't be seeking help for my problems.
I worry that counselling won't make a difference in my life.
I worry that I don't have the time to spend on counselling.
I worry that I'll be told to change the way I am.

Below are some answers to those worries. If you're interested but still unsure about something, the best thing to do is get in touch.

Anchor 1

Counselling and psychotherapy can be of help to anybody.

Sometimes life can be difficult; it can feel unmanageable and challenging.

Counselling can be a great resource at these times of difficulty, helping to bring clarity and support.

It involves meeting with a trained professional therapist in a safe, confidential setting. This allows you to talk about and explore life’s challenges in a non-judgmental space. Some of the issues that can be explored in this way are relationship break-up, bereavement, stress or work problems occurring in the present, as well as deeper long-term issues that may have their roots in our past, e.g. abuse and trauma in childhood. In the process it is possible to develop insight, which can assist in understanding and accepting who we are today.

Counselling and psychotherapy frequently overlap, and can be used interchangeably.

Anchor 2

With a therapist you can explore and discover more resourceful ways of managing your life.

The therapeutic relationship is one of respect and non-judgement between you and your therapist: meetings last 50 minutes.

As a mental health practitioner, my goal is to address and ameliorate distress. I work closely with you to encourage a realistic basis on which to:

build consistent emotional stability,
increase capacity to adapt to change, and
develop coping skills that will maximize potential to function in daily living.

In working toward these goals, I provide assistance to any person over the age of 18, regardless of race, colour, creed, sexual orientation or disability.

Life can present us with many challenges. Sometimes our close relationships, family situations, work environment, or just daily living can give rise to a variety of unmanageable emotions and cause in us an ‘emotional wobble’. Or we might experience a major life event or crisis, such as bereavement, trauma, or a relationship breakdown. Experiencing one or a combination of these issues can make us feel emotionally overwhelmed and confused; we are after all only human. At times when thoughts and emotions seem out of our control we may feel lost, struggle to think clearly or feel we don't have the energy to find a way forward. You may be someone who finds it difficult to talk to and confide in those close to you, or not wanting to burden others.

We can end up ignoring our feelings, burying them inside and storing up difficulties in hope of dealing with them further along. We might notice that we have more worries and anxieties, low mood or sadness, feelings of guilt or shame, anger or tendency to argue; we may even make ourselves ill, emotionally and physically.

Anchor 3

Counselling offers you the chance to take time out from your daily routine and focus on the things that are concerning you or any changes you want to make in your life.

As an experienced counsellor I will support you to make sense of what is happening and explore with you how you would like things to be. I will encourage and empower you to find your own solutions, helping to make your situation more manageable so you can feel that you are living a meaningful life, with yourself, and others.

Anchor 4

It is normal to be nervous about starting counselling, but the process is not an attempt to change you as a person.

I remember when I first considered having some counselling I was full of a lot of conflicting emotions.

I knew something wasn’t right. I had been through a lot, including the loss of a job and the collapse of a long-term relationship. Although I knew the way I was handling all this wasn’t working I was very reluctant to ask for help. My friends and family were loving and supportive but, somehow, they couldn’t give me what I wanted. They loved me and knew me, but they also saw me as they always had done and although this was comforting it didn’t feel helpful.

However, to put my trust in counselling was also scary. I think my biggest fear was that they would try to change me, try to smooth out my quirks, my individuality and my anger. I worried they would want to make me ordinary, something I had never aspired to be.

What I found instead was that counselling provided me with the tools to handle the things in my life that I found difficult, allowing me to decide for myself how to deal with challenges without feeling compelled to follow the path that others wished me to take.