Questions

Counselling provides the opportunity for some ‘you time’. It is a talking therapy between yourself and a Counsellor that allows you to:

• Create a comfortable space to discuss and figure out things that are on your mind.
• Have the time you need to talk about your problems with someone so you can offload stress.
• Look into your past experiences, decisions, relationships and explore them.
• Find your own solutions to your problems with the helping hand of a Counsellor.

Counselling is talking, but it is not for everyone. Life can be confusing sometimes and our minds, as strong as they are, need some support every now and then. Counselling is a different experience for each individual and so the best way to know whether counselling will work for you is by just giving it a try.

Typically Counsellors will begin with a suggestion of 6 sessions, after an Initial Assessment. If you decide with your Counsellor that further sessions are needed then more sessions will be arranged. The number of sessions you have is agreed between you and your Counsellor, so will vary depending on your progress and your feelings.

Your first session will be an Initial Assessment session where you will discuss some of the reasons why you feel you need counselling and what you hope to achieve from the sessions. You will need to complete some forms to record your personal details (name, address etc.).

You can expect your Counsellor to keep all that you say completely confidential, excluding the exceptions detailed in our Confidentiality Policy. In this way you should be encouraged to speak as openly and freely as you like with your Counsellor.

The only time your Counsellor will share your information with others is….

if yourself or another could be put in harms way, Please see our Confidentiality Policy.

Also a Counsellor from time to time, may speak to a qualified supervisor about material brought up in sessions to ensure that they give you the best support they can. However your identity will not be revealed at any point.

Counselling encourages a therapeutic relationship between you and your Counsellor, so it is really important that if you find you do not feel comfortable with them for any reason, then you can either discuss this with them directly or request a change of Counsellor. There may be a significant reason why you do no feel comfortable talking to them, perhaps they remind you of someone or something you do not want to be reminded of. By discussing this with your Counsellor first, you may find that you can confront the issue, if not we will be able to help you to find another Counsellor.

Sessions with your Counsellor should be time for you to speak without reserve, in a judgement-free zone. That is why your Counsellor is trained to be respectful and open to discuss any and all the issues that you raise.

You may find it difficult to talk about your private concerns with your Counsellor immediately:

• Take your time to allow a relationship to develop.
• Feel more comfortable with your Counsellor.
• Build the trust to share your more private issues with them.
• Ultimately you may wish to go elsewhere.

As you go through your counselling sessions you may start to notice changes in yourself. The affect of your issues will lessen and ultimately allow you to feel more positively about your situation. Sometimes it can be hard to tell how you are developing and you may even feel worse before you can feel better. Things to look out for:

• Feeling more at ease with yourself and your situation in life.
• Understanding your past experiences and how they impact you now.
• Feeling stronger in yourself and more capable to deal with and confront your issues.
• Recognising that you are not alone with your issues and realising that counselling and talking in itself can help you find solutions.

Talking to your Counsellor is what you are there for, so if you are having problems dealing with the time in between your appointments, speak to your Counsellor directly about it. Remember your sessions are nonjudgmental zones. Your Counsellor will be happy to help you find a way to resolve this issue! Busy yourself with activities that relax your mind, like exercise for example.

Sometimes you may find that you start to talk about something really important just as your session is about to end. Counsellors are encouraged to end sessions at the time agreed, so try not to feel discouraged if they have to end after you have aired something important. Take note of what you have raised and remember to bring it up at the start of your next session. Your Counsellor will probably do the same.

Your counselling sessions provide an open and free environment to talk about any of your concerns. It is only natural that you may find your emotions take over occasionally and crying is simply an expression of these emotions. If you feel that you want, need to cry in these sessions with your Counsellor then this is a good sign that you feel comfortable to express yourself honestly and freely with them, however it is not necessary to cry or feel the need to, in order to make progress. As with all things in life, one size does not fit all.