Apologies, but because of personal commitments I’m taking a break from counselling. The information below might still be helpful.
What do we hope for when we attend counselling? If we haven’t attended counselling before, it can feel daunting. We hope that we won’t be judged, that our difficult feelings will be understood and respected. We are likely to expect help in creating changes that could make life less painful and more enjoyable. All counselling approaches are designed to help fulfil these hopes and expectations.
If you are looking for a counsellor, it’s good to check if they are a member of a recognised organisation such as The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, as membership means they have agreed to adhere to a code of ethics. (Even so, there are skilled and trustworthy counsellors who are not members of an over-seeing organisation.)
Over the centuries, many theories and practices have been developed for helping us to understand and ease our personal difficulties. I decided to study and qualify in Integrative Counselling, because this kind of counselling offers a variety of therapeutic approaches. Each well-studied approach is very carefully chosen and offered, to suit the client’s needs at any given time during their sessions. Integrative Counselling also allows freedom of thought, so Integrative practitioners will almost always bring their own creative techniques to therapy. I believe this provides a highly personalised experience of counselling.