What is Counselling?

Talking therapy is used to help you to explore the difficulties you are experiencing.  This means two people sit together in a safe, private and confidential environment where you feel heard, accepted and valued for who you are by a trained therapist.  During our sessions you will be able to explore what you want to bring to the session.  This may be something specific, you may not know what to talk about or are confused of what is going on in your life, in which we can take the time to understand what comes up whilst working together at your own pace.  This therapeutic space is a place to explore what is happening in your life, any difficulties or distress you are experiencing.

Coming to counselling is a choice you make for yourself.  By making this choice my belief is you are choosing to put yourself first, making your self-care a priority.  I feel it’s important to let you know that counselling can be hard work, the path isn’t always easy and it can be tough to sit with painful thoughts and emotions however by pushing through the hard parts you will feel lighter mentally, develop an increased sense of self-worth and better tools to handle challenges.

Why do we need Counselling?

Throughout life we can feel at times our life is challenging, making us feel powerless, overwhelmed, confused and alone.  Sometimes we have no support networks or find it difficult to trust someone in our life with our thoughts and feelings.  Very often, talking to someone who isn’t emotionally involved about difficulties we are experiencing can help us understand our innermost feelings and give clarity on where we currently find ourselves.  I understand the decision to begin counselling can feel very daunting and cause uncertainty in what to expect.  What I can assure you is I will provide you with a safe therapeutic space and be alongside you on your own personal journey every step of the way.

How can I help you?

Counselling is a personal journey for everyone, we have our own personal difficulties and goals.  I cannot promise you I can take your problems away or fix them but what I can do is assure you I will give you my space and time to encourage you to explore important areas in your life that are of importance to you to help gain insight and what life means for you. 

I predominately work in a Person Centred way in that my approach puts emphasis on you being at the centre of the counselling process but can tailor this when needed by introducing methods and techniques to find out what works for you.  I enjoy bringing a creative approach to counselling alongside talking, when appropriate.  Creative techniques can be really useful not only for young people but also adults.  These techniques can help you to process emotions and experiences and see things in a different way that you may have never thought of before.  I understand you may not want to use creative approaches and that is completely fine, if you feel uncomfortable with this.  I recognise no two people experience life in the same way and that counselling is personalised to you and your needs. 

Although I have a lot of counselling experience I am not an expert on you.  I believe you are the expert on your own life and by sharing your story with me I can help you to develop a clearer understanding and develop new skills and tools to improve your mental health.

Engaging in counselling can be life changing, taking you on a journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance.  The ultimate aim of counselling is to enable you to be more self-aware of the choices you have made, feel more confident to make your own decisions, improve relationships with yourself and others, to be in more of control of your life and have a greater sense of happiness.