What is counselling?
The British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy defines counselling in the following manner”:
“Counselling takes place when a counsellor sees a client in a private and confidential setting to explore a
difficulty the client is having, distress they may be experiencing or perhaps their dissatisfaction with life,
or loss of a sense of direction and purpose. It is always at the request of the client as no one can properly
be 'sent' for counselling.
By listening attentively and patiently the counsellor can begin to perceive the difficulties from the client's
point of view and can help them to see things more clearly, possibly from a different perspective. Counselling
is a way of enabling choice or change or of reducing confusion. It does not involve giving advice or directing
a client to take a particular course of action. Counsellors do not judge or exploit their clients in any way.
In the counselling sessions the client can explore various aspects of their life and feelings, talking about
them freely and openly in a way that is rarely possible with friends or family. Bottled up feelings such as anger,
anxiety, grief and embarrassment can become very intense and counselling offers an opportunity to explore them,
with the possibility of making them easier to understand. The counsellor will encourage the expression of feelings
and as a result of their training will be able to accept and reflect the client's problems without becoming
burdened by them.
Acceptance and respect for the client are essentials for a counsellor and, as the relationship develops, so too
does trust between the counsellor and client, enabling the client to look at many aspects of their life, their
relationships and themselves which they may not have considered or been able to face before. The counsellor may
help the client to examine in detail the behaviour or situations which are proving troublesome and to find an area
where it would be possible to initiate some change as a start. The counsellor may help the client to look at the
options open to them and help them to decide the best for them.”
Copyright BACP
What does Therapy require of me?
Click below to find out more about what's required from you before attending therpy.
About your Therapist
I have more than 6,750 sessions experience and hold therapy qualifications accredited by NCFE to NVQ level 4. Click below
to find out more.