Making the decision to engage in counselling can be a difficult one. The thought of sharing your private thoughts with a stranger can feel like a very daunting prospect. You may feel that your issues are too insignificant and that you might be seen to be “making a fuss about nothing”. Alternatively, you may fear that your problems are so big that they may overwhelm anybody you choose to share them with. These feelings are normal.
Counselling is very often called a “talking therapy” because it gives you the opportunity to talk about what is troubling you. Counselling is time set aside regularly just for you, where you can let go, explore and feel safe in knowing that you are being heard and understood by someone who isn’t going to judge you.
Sometimes life can put obstacles in our way, which can mean that it becomes increasingly difficult to live how we wish to. These obstacles can be significant life events such as the death of a loved one, the breakdown of a relationship or the loss of a job. Alternatively, experiences in our past and our ways of being in the world may have an impact on how we relate to others and how we respond to challenges that we face. Maybe we feel angry or upset all the time but don’t know why.
Counselling is about helping you to understand yourself: how you relate to yourself internally and how you relate to others around you. Together, we will work at a pace that suits you. It is not about me telling you what to do, it is about supporting you to find your own solutions, giving you the choice to make changes in your life.
