What is Counselling?
Therapy provides a confidential and safe place for you to talk to an experienced professional about any behaviours, thoughts and feelings you may be experiencing, and provide you with the opportunity to be listened to and heard in a secure and supportive environment.
Counselling sessions can equip you with the tools to help you to find solutions and coping strategies to support and help you with your problems.
Counselling can cover a number of talking therapies, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy and humanistic/person-centred therapy. There are a number of different therapy technique and practices.
What different types of counselling are there?
- Individual Counselling
- Couples Counselling
- Family Counselling
- Online Counselling
- Telephone Counselling
- Group Counselling
What issues can be addressed through Counselling?
Counselling can enable you to explore and address a wide range of issues, emotions, behaviours and patterns. From talking through everyday worries and stresses, to finding strategies to help manage and cope with bereavement, illness, addiction, traumatic events, relationship breakdown, family issues or psychological issues such as anxiety and depression. Counselling is beneficial to all and provides a non-judgemental space for you to share and discuss the thoughts and feelings you are experiencing with a trained professional.
What can you expect from a counselling session?
Counselling will vary slightly depending on your needs and what type of therapy may be suitable. Counselling sessions can be short term, over weeks or months or more longer term, depending on what would benefit each individual and their situation and circumstances the most.
In your initial appointment, your therapist may share their background, qualifications and experience with you and briefly talk to you about how they conduct their sessions, session length and expectations for further sessions. They may ask more questions in the initial appointment, as they get to know you, your preferences, such as if you’re happy with first name terms, where you feel comfortable sitting, and areas, themes and feelings you wish to explore. Your therapist will ensure they display active listening and empathy and provide a non-judgemental space throughout your sessions. Therapists may sometimes provide purposeful space and opportunities to pause and reflect in sessions, alongside deeper questioning opportunities to ensure they have understood what you are sharing and discussing with them.
Some therapists have more of a structure to their sessions and may ask you to reflect on how certain aspects are going as you explore them together, in order to gain relevant feedback on what is working well for you. Some may set additional tasks for you to work on outside of your therapy treatment, to ensure momentum and progression in between your sessions.
At certain times, you may explore and discuss painful or uncomfortable topics during your therapy sessions. Your therapist is a trained professional who will support you through this process and provide a safe and confidential space for you to do so (excluding legal and ethical exceptions and the monitoring of
therapists by a supervisor).
What benefits can Counselling provide?
There are many benefits that counselling can provide, some of these include, but are not limited to:
- A more positive outlook and perspective on life
- Help achieving goals and accomplishments
- Feeling supported, listened to and valued
- Increased self-worth and self-confidence
- Increased ability in coping with and managing anxieties, worries and stress
- Personal growth, resilience and self-reflection
- A deeper understanding and sense of self and others
- Improved communication and social skills
- Better management of emotions
- Ability to change thought patterns
- Support with addiction, phobias or eating disorders
- Support with long term health conditions
- Feeling you are better able to cope with life
