Counselling offers you the opportunity to talk in confidence about any issues that are causing you concern. These might include difficulties related to bereavement, mental health issues, stress-related problems, employment issues, relationship difficulties and more general concerns around self-esteem and life fulfilment.
Although these are broad areas of concern, in all of these the aim of counselling is to find ways of managing situations more satisfactorily, either by making changes in your life or helping you to find ways of managing the difficult feelings that arise.
Counselling is confidential. It is not usually about giving advice, but instead looks to enable you to work out your own way through your situation by providing support and a safe place to reflect.
What will happen?
How you experience counselling will depend on a number of factors including your own particular style and personality and the issues you wish to bring. There is no ‘one style fits all’ and whereas one person will wish to reflect on long term difficulties and a lifetime’s experiences, another will want simply to concentrate on a particular issue in the present in order to find a way forward.
As with CBT, we recommend an initial session in which you and the counsellor can discuss your concerns and the kind of help you would like. This is intended to be a relaxed and friendly conversation in which you can agree on the next steps together and how the two of you can establish a style of working that fits with your own needs. Above all, counselling aims to help you to feel more in control and at ease in yourself, so the counsellor will always encourage you to decide what feels best for you.
Does it work?
There is strong body of evidence that ‘talking therapies’ are an effective way of helping people through a range of difficulties. Counselling has developed enormously over the last thirty years and is now regularly offered in health settings, educational establishments and in a wide range or work settings.
Quality control
As with all therapies, it is important to establish how competent the practitioners are. The BACP is the largest umbrella organisation for generic counselling in England and has set out very clear criteria for effective and safe counselling practice. These are incorporated in their Code of Ethics and can be consulted via the link below.