Counselling
In a nutshell, counselling is a service sought by people who are looking to find some answers, resolutions or greater understanding of thoughts, feelings and behaviours that are of concern to them.
These concerns come in many different forms, often perceived as problems or challenges that are limiting one’s ability to live life the way one wishes. They may be described as mental health problems or mental illness or come in the form of relationship issues. These concerns may also include peoples aspirations towards a greater sense of wellbeing or be focused on increasing satisfaction in a specific area of one’s life. Counselling can be brief and focused on specific solutions or longer in duration and cover a broad range of presenting issues.
What Can you Expect from Counselling?
Generally counselling is about facilitating a discussion and enhancing the clients awareness to support self-directed action or change. In this sense it is not about the counsellor giving direct advice or coercing clients to act in a particular way.
Seeing a professionally trained counsellor will typically provide a different experience from talking with friends or family about your concerns. Albeit with the best of intentions, sometimes existing personal relationships may feel like they are providing direct advice that is not helpful or limits ones sense of self-determination.
Counselling is based on theoretical approaches and there are many of these. Broadly, these include cognitive, affective or emotional and behavioural principles that create disciplined ways of working with people. It may help to consider approaches best suited to your needs and we recommend having an initial discussion with David to see if there is a good fit. Ultimately a strong indicator of success in counselling practise is the strength of relationship the client develops with the therapist.
