FAQs

What is counselling?

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) define counselling as: http://www.bacp.co.uk/

Counselling and psychotherapy are umbrella terms that cover a range of talking therapies. They are delivered by trained practitioners who work with people over a short or long term to help them bring about effective change or enhance their wellbeing.

According to http://www.itsgoodtotalk.org.uk/what-is-therapy

Therapy offers you a safe, confidential place to talk about your life and anything that may be confusing, painful or uncomfortable. It allows you to talk with someone who is trained to listen attentively and to help you improve things.

How will therapy make me feel?

Therapy is a very personal process. Sometimes it is necessary to talk about painful feelings or difficult decisions, so you may go through a period of feeling worse than when you started. However, therapy should enable you to feel better in the long-run.

If you do experience a period of feeling worse, talk to your therapist about it to ensure you get the best out of your therapy.

Will I feel better straight away?

Usually it will take a number of counselling sessions before therapy starts to make a difference. However on rare occasions, a single session may be enough.

Does it work for everybody?

Therapy doesn’t work for everybody. It is not a universal cure-all. Because you may be talking about very personal and often painful things, it can sometimes be difficult to keep going. Despite this, it is often worth the effort as you can be helped to work through problems.

Will I be able to have therapy that understands my cultural background?

Therapists come from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. It should be possible to find an appropriate therapist for your needs. How and where you access therapy will affect how much choice you have when selecting your therapist.

Is all therapy the same?

No. There are different methods and approaches to therapy, and your chosen therapist will be able to talk to you about their particular method or approach.

Many of us have our hair washed or cut or coloured or styled on a regular basis. We go to the beauty salon every so often; we update our wardrobes every season. The result is that we usually look good on the outside, but what about the inside? How long does the ‘fix’ last for? What do we do to get our ‘oil change’ in the inside? – our emotional side? Left neglected, the little things become like the stone in our shoe. Having 1 – 1 counselling is probably one of the most worth-while investments you can make in yourself. You can learn some useful life skills in addition to the ones you already have, and it’s not just yourself who benefits.