© 2001 Louise Stroud. All rights reserved.

Counselling is a special relationship built on confidentiality, mutual respect and open communication, with the intention of helping people to clarify and identify their problems and to find their own solutions. It is about empowering the client to make their own decisions, it is not advice giving or offering sympathy. Many people may use counselling skills as part of their work, but the counselling relationship is quite different, as it entails commitment and clear boundaries. Counsellors usually undertake at least 3 to 4 years training to gain their initial diploma, followed by many years of post graduate training to keep abreast of new ideas.

The principle behind counselling is that it helps enormously to share problems with someone who is there to listen and try and understand how things are for you the client. The counsellor is unbiased and there to offer support and strength during emotional times. More importantly they can help you unravel the reasons behind issues such as depression, substance abuse and low self esteem, or come to terms with childhood pain caused by bereavement or sexual abuse. Counselling is a process during which you will come to know yourself, to understand why you engage in the same destructive behaviour or repeat the same patterns, it is a journey of self discovery which can be painful and difficult, but the end result is a more fulfilling and enlightened life.

There are many different forms of counselling, each with different ideas about how the human psyche has developed and different ways of working with issues. For example Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is concerned with a client's behaviour and the context in which this takes place, with a view to learning new ways of behaving . Psychodynamic Therapy is more interested in the client's unconscious thought processes and believes that childhood experience provides answers for today's problems. Brief Solution Focussed Therapy is a more short term therapy that concentrates on one issue and tries to find ways of solving this, good for work problems and relationship issues. Humanistic counsellors place great importance on the relationship between client and counsellor and believe in the essentially positive nature of human life, they tend to work more creatively and are more client led.

What happens in counselling?

In a typical session you would meet with your therapist to decide whether counselling is what you need and also whether you feel you could work together. It is important if you are going to be able to share personal aspects of your life with the counsellor, that you feel a connection and warmth as well as trust and confidence. The initial consultation is often free of charge. After that you will make a contract to work together for a number of sessions with a view to reviewing this regularly, to ensure that you are getting what you need from your sessions. The cost of counselling varies from counsellor to counsellor depending on qualifications and experience, but ranges from £20- £40 on average. Some therapists offer low cost or sliding scale fees to enable everybody to benefit from counselling.

Counselling is suitable for most people and most problems, providing you really want to change your life and are willing to experience some emotional turmoil along the way. Counselling is not suitable for people with mental illness, who have different needs and will benefit from psychotherapy or psychiatry.

© 2001 Louise Stroud. All rights reserved.

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