What is counselling

Counselling is when a counsellor sees a client in a confidential and safe environment to explore any difficulty or problem the client might be having, or perhaps their dissatisfaction with life or their current circumstances. There comes a time in our lives when we feel stuck, overwhelmed by emotion, sadness, and pain we feel unable to cope, counselling can help us clarify issues and take stock.

By listening attentively and patiently without judgement, the counsellor can begin to perceive the difficulties from the client's point of view and this might help the client to see things more clearly, possibly from a slightly different angle. In counselling, the relationship between the client and the counsellor is an essential part of the process.

As trust is built up, the counsellor will encourage the clients to look at aspects of their lives; their relationships and themselves, which they may not have thought of or felt able to face before. Bottled-up feelings such as anger, anxiety, grief and embarrassment can become very intense. The counsellor will encourage the expression of these feelings, thus making them easier for the client to understand. A counsellor is there to see what you do not see, and needs to be seen, to help you make sense of situations, and manage your life.