What kind of people come to counselling?
All kinds. Really. Honestly.
People from all walks of life, all different professions and backgrounds and with a variety of personal issues. The one thing they have in common is that they realise asking for support isn’t a sign of weakness but rather a sign of their inner humanity.
Talking a problem through with a willing and patient listener can make all the difference when we are feeling overwhelmed by life’s problems. We all instinctively know this, which is why we will call our best friend for a chat or confide in a colleague at work.
Sometimes, though, we need to talk to someone who isn’t involved and is trained to help us think through things differently. Someone whose job it is to listen to us, take us seriously and help us to find a way through to the other side of the problem.
Counselling is a mix of active listening, emotional support and a quiet space to talk until between us we find some solutions. A typical course of counselling can be anything between 6 weeks and 6 months, depending on the complexity of the problem.
Psychotherapy is usually a longer term endeavour and its aim is to facilitate change in our psychology – in how we relate to ourselves, others and the world – in order to bring about longer term change in relationships with others and our experience of life. A typical course of psychotherapy will usually be at least 6 months, although the length of time will always be determined by you, the client.