About Counselling
Why come to counselling?
Maybe something in your life has been worrying you for a while, you might feel depressed or anxious and now you're thinking that you could do with some help. It may be that there is a current event that you're struggling with or something happened in the past that may still be affecting you. Either way you don't have to be on your own with this. As a qualified and experienced counsellor I can help you to understand what it is that may be affecting you and assist you in getting back on track.
'Sunlight's a thing that needs a window before it enters a dark room'
Counselling can help you
by providing support in a safe,non-judgemental and confidential place
by helping to develop greater self-awareness and deeper inner resources
by helping you to make sense of patterns of behaviour that link to the past
by increasing the possibility of positive change and greater conscious choice
by encouraging healthier ways of dealing with life challenges
by improving the way you engage in relationships
by helping you to move forward with fresh insight
by helping you to re-evaluate your life and re-think what you'ld like from it
Short-term or open-ended counselling?
Short-term counselling can be useful if you have a particular issue or event that you're having difficulty dealing with at the present and feel you just need the support to get through it. Sometimes short-term is also used like a 'transitional object' at times when you find yourself needing a strong hand to hold onto whilst you make an important decision or change; this could be a new job perhaps, or marriage, retirement or other rite of passage.
Open-ended therapy is generally chosen when past patterns of behaviour are negatively affecting all aspects of your life to the degree where you have started to believe that you can't go on operating for much longer in this way. The signs are often deep dissatisfaction and unhappiness with yourself and with your life generally. However, long-term counselling may also be chosen when a client comes wanting to further their personal development with a view to enriching their life with greater meaning, bringing greater understanding of themselves and their potential.
My preference is to work open-ended as quite often the presenting issue can mask the underlying, often unconscious, concerns. Moreover, short-term counselling tends not to allow for any depth in the work. However this will always be discussed with you in the first session where I will give you my professional opinion. Choosing to work open-ended means that we will continually review the work giving you the opportunity to say what it is that you would like to happen. Whatever decision you make will be treated professionally and with respect.
Giving yourself the time and space to come to counselling can bring greater self-awareness and with it the opportunity for personal development and lasting change in your life
The importance of the therapeutic relationship
One of the main keys to counselling and therapy is the therapeutic relationship; the rapport between the therapist and the client. It really is important that you find the right therapist for yourself to get the most out of the process. The relationship is not just intellectual but depends on a deep empathic quality where you as the client feels held in unconditional positive regard. A first meeting is a good time to look at your needs and assess whether we can work together. Communicating through an email or phone call can often help with the decision.
Counsellor - Therapist - Cheltenham - Gloucester - Tewkesbury - Stroud - Cirencester
