What is counselling?
Put simply…
Counselling is a form of talking therapy where you can speak to a trained professional about issues and problems you are facing in your life, with an aim to help you understand yourself better and achieve goals that you set for yourself, for example to be able increase your tolerance for difficult emotions.
Ethical
Professional counsellors adhere to ethical standard set out by a professional association. These standards ensure the counselling is safe, confidential and non-judgmental.
Safe
Counselling is a safe place, a place you can express yourself without fear of judgement, where you will be herd, seen, and respected for being you. It is a place where unlike family and friends you know the counsellor can cope with whatever it is you wish to discuss.
It is not…
A place where you will be told what to do, or a quick fix. Counsellors believe you are the expert in your life, therefore only you know the best way forward for you. Instead, counsellors will encourage you to talk about what's bothering you so together you can identify causes and your specific ways of thinking. Then collaboratively look to create a plan or help identify ways of coping to help reconcile your issues.
How could counselling help me?
Learn
Counselling can help you understand yourself better and work towards resolving complicated feelings and unhelpful patterns or find ways to live with them to help you benefit in day-to-day life.
Reflect
Counselling can help bring awareness to your own emotions and how you regulate them. With this awareness comes the ability to reflect on, identify and label emotions, which can help clarify the thoughts and behaviours behind them.
Self-Care
Counselling gives you protected time dedicated just for you.
Regulate
Counselling is not an extreme option, it's ok to try at any point in your life, whatever your background. You do not have to manage alone.
Gaining support from a counsellor when you're not at crisis point can be really helpful – it might feel easier to reflect on what's going on and could help you keep things from getting worse.