Why Counselling
People often say that going to a counsellor helps them to make sense of their inner turmoil of thoughts and feelings. A counsellor is not there to judge you and will not be shocked at anythihng you bring up during the session. It is the Counsellor's job to listen carefully to your problems and help you understand your own situation so that they can help you move forward.
Counselling is a highly personal profession and so counsellors are always supervised themselves, which means that they will discuss the progress of sessions with clients with their own overseer. This is also for your safety, but you can be sure that your personal details remain secret. To your personal Counsellor, you are never known by anything other than your first name (or the name you choose) and they do not have access to your real identity.
When you come to a Counsellor please do not expect them to give you advice; their job is to listen carefully to you, and help you to come to your own conclusions about what is right, for you. It may be hard to decide what to do for the best, but a counsellor will help you focus on what's important, and find your own answers to difficult choices in your own time, and without pressurising you.
You should never feel that counselling is the last option or an admission that you've failed. In fact it's a very brave step to take and going to counselling does not mean that you have a mental problem. In fact, talking to an independent person in complete confidence will usually help much more than discussing your problems with friends, relatives or colleagues which can sometimes make your situation much worse.
Some people also benefit from counselling as a tool for personal development and growth. If you have goals that you feel you keep missing, for example, meetings with a personal counsellor will help you stay focussed on what is important.
All counselling sessions are carried out in the strictest confidence.