Is counselling for you?
So you’ve wondered vaguely about counselling. Something’s not quite right but you’re unsure what to do about it or where to go. Or you might be in the middle of a crisis and don’t know which way to turn. But is counselling for you? Surely, you think, you should be able to sort this out for yourself. How could sitting in a room talking to a stranger possibly help?
Fortunately counselling no longer has the stigma attached to it that it used to have. People were reluctant to admit they were seeing a counsellor, fearing it might be seen as a sign of weakness, that they couldn’t cope (and haven’t we all been in that place at some time in our lives?) Nowadays, we’re more able to talk about our experience of counselling without feeling embarrassed. However, I think people are still generally unclear about how counselling can be used, who it might be for and how it works.
Counselling can be helpful in a variety of different situations and a number of different ways.
If you’re in the middle of a crisis, it can make a big difference to talk it through with someone who has your best interests at heart but isn’t emotionally involved. A counsellor will ask questions to help you gain insight into the situation, reflect back some of your thoughts, issues and concerns. It’s also an opportunity to help you explore exactly what you do think and feel about your crisis and provide a caring, supportive space for you to stop all the thoughts simply going round in your head and explore them more constructively. Once you’re able to do this, the way forward is usually clearer and easier to follow.
Or it may be that you’ve had difficulties over a number of years which, no matter how hard you’ve tried, you’ve never seemed able to resolve. Seeing a counsellor is a great opportunity to explore what these difficulties are really about; start to see them from a different perspective and begin to come up with your own answers, guided and supported by your counsellor, as to how best to move forward.
Some people come to counselling because they’re not sure what’s wrong with their life, they simply have a sense that it isn’t working as well as it might be. Counselling is an excellent opportunity to explore exactly where you are in your life at the moment, look further at the areas that you’re not that happy with and, together with your counsellor, find new and different ways forward that had not been apparent when you were struggling on your own.
In general, counselling is an opportunity to really hear yourself think and allow yourself to feel in ways you may never have done before. Together with your counsellor’s guidance, encouragement and support, it’s about standing back and taking a fresh look at your life so that new answers and revelations are allowed to surface, leading you towards a life you’re happy with.
If you’d like to discuss whether counselling is for you, please do call Carrie for a brief chat on 01285 862158 or e-mail her on carrie@carrierose.co.uk
