Counselling is an opportunity to talk to someone about your concerns without fear of being judged or criticised in a supportive and confidential environment.
It is a place to express emotions in a safe place, to ‘off-load’ or to step back and assess what is going on.
Counsellors do not tell you what to do, or give advice, but will help you become clearer about your difficulties. Counsellors will help you explore your feelings, thoughts and behaviours. They will then support you in working out what the way forward could be for you. This can be difficult to do with family, friends or work colleagues.
As well as helping you with immediate problems, counselling can help you come to a better understanding of yourself. This self knowledge is then of use to you in the future when you are faced with other choices and decisions. It can have a life-long positive effect .
Counselling can sometimes be a challenging experience and people’s reactions vary. Some people feel a lot better after sharing their concerns and feel that further sessions are not needed. Others find it difficult to talk and to share problems in counselling and can benefit from counselling over a longer period of time.