What is Counselling?

Counselling is a type of talking therapy aimed at helping you improve your wellbeing by talking through issues causing you emotional distress.

Through a counselling relationship, you can discover more about yourself and your experiences by having conversations where you are heard and validated.

By focusing mainly on current problems, a trained counsellor can help you explore and understand how you think and feel about issues.

Unlike your other relationships, an experienced counsellor will resist giving you their opinion, offering you advice, or telling you what to do.

Instead, a counsellor will help you make sense of the issues causing you emotional distress, by encouraging you to consider different perspectives.

People access counselling for all sorts of reasons. For you, it could be to address an issue from your past or to help manage a significant life event.

A better understanding of yourself, others, and your experiences can lead to changes in the way you handle relationships and deal with issues.

Working with a counsellor may also result in you feeling more confident and seeing improvements to your wellbeing.

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References

Dale, H. (2016) Choosing a Counsellor or Psychotherapist. BACP Information Sheet C3. Lutterworth: BACP

Layard, R. and Clark, D. M. (2014) Thrive: The Power of Evidence-Based Psychological Therapies. London: Penguin Group

National Counselling Society. (2019) 'Reasons for Seeking Counselling Services.' Available from: https://www.nationalcounsellingsociety.org/find-counsellor/types-of-therapy/ [Accessed: 16 October 2019]

Rose, C. (2012) Self Awareness and Personal Development: Resources for Psychotherapists and Counsellors. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan