What is Counselling / Psychotherapy?

Counselling/psychotherapy offers you the opportunity to talk, confidentially, to a qualified practitioner who is trained to listen to you attentively, and to understand and accept you.

People choose to embark on therapy for a large number of reasons. They might be feeling anything from a vague feeling of discomfort or discontent, to being unhappy or desperate. They might be clear about what has triggered them to seek a therapist, for example, problems in a relationship, a relationship break-up, work stress, anxiety, illness or bereavement. Equally, they might be less clear about the origin of what is bothering them.

The process of counselling/psychotherapy can aid you in a number of ways, for example, by helping you to identify more clearly what is troubling you, and result in you feeling better than you did at the start of the process. Although counselling and therapy practitioners have had different types of training, so the way we work will differ, research shows that if you and the therapist work well together, the process is more likely to be successful for you.

I will offer you an opportunity to explore and clarify your thoughts and feelings, listening carefully to what you say, without judging you. You might decide that you need this support for a few sessions, to sort out specific problems, and feel satisfied at the end of these. Equally, you might decide you want to explore things more fully and deeply, and continue in counselling/psychotherapy until you feel you have achieved this.

Although there are no absolute guarantees that counselling / psychotherapy will help you, people often find this support invaluable.