Frequently Asked Questions
What issues can be helped through counselling?
This is just an idea of what people might come for:
- Depression Counselling
- Anxiety Therapy
- Loss & Bereavement Counselling
- General Low Mood Therapy
- Work-Related Issues
- Drug & Alcohol Misuse Counselling
- Other Addiction Counselling
- Family Issues
- Relationship Counselling
- Couples Counselling
- Marriage Counselling
- Stress Counselling
- Counselling for Loneliness
- Counselling for Despair
- Counselling for Anger
- Fear
- Frustration
- Post-traumatic stress (PTS)
- Panic attacks
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Why should I talk to a counsellor when I can talk to friends or family?
This is true – you can talk to friends and family and, for many people, this is the first port of call when they are struggling. However, what happens if your friends or family are part of your problem? What if you don’t feel comfortable telling them about something very personal? And what do you do with responses like: “If I were you…” or “You’re making a mountain out of a molehill” or “Chin up…it may never happen” or even “You’ve got it good compared to…”?
Often, those close to you are just too close. They cannot bear to see you unhappy, so they try and convince you that it’s not that bad. Or they try and lift your mood by distracting you. Or they try and make you see that your problems are not as bad as some other people’s.
When you talk to a counsellor, you don’t get any of that. You get someone objective, yet empathic, who is trained and qualified to listen – really listen – and help you make sense of, and work through, your problems with you.
Why talk about the past? You can’t change it.
During counselling you may well find that what is bothering you has its roots in the past. Many people cannot see the point in ‘raking up the past’, as they cannot go back and change what has happened. However, counselling is not about changing the past, but understanding yourself and what was happening for you at that time, so that you may understand yourself more fully in the present and gives you the chance to change things for the future.