What is counselling?

Counselling is a service provided to those who are seeking to explore and resolve issues and/or problems that they are experiencing in their lives. Counselling allows an individual to work collaboratively with a trained counsellor in order to gain the necessary skills to not only experience change, but to also aid the individual in coping with life in the future.

How can counselling help me?

The counselling relationship is key in allowing a client to gain a different perspective of the issue that they are currently facing. In counselling sessions, a client has the opportunity to explore various aspects of their life, both past and present. Counselling allows the client to talk about their feelings openly in a way that can enable the ability to make choices that lead to personal growth, a deeper sense of self and improved relationships with others.

How does the counsellor play a role in this process?

As your counsellor:

• My primary job is to create the space for you to feel safe to talk openly. This is achieved by creating an atmosphere based on confidentiality and trust.
• It is also my job to ask you questions. In many ways, a counsellor acts as a mirror to what you as the client are saying and feeling. By asking questions, we begin to work together to find solutions to the issue you wish to see resolved.
• From those questions, I will at times make observations that I share with you. This can help you to gain another person’s perspective of the situation, but it also helps bring to your awareness potential blocks to change that you may have been experiencing, or patterns that have developed in your life that may also be standing in the way of your happiness. Awareness is often the first step to change.
• I also can suggest possible techniques, tools or interventions that may help you to overcome your difficulty. It is always with your consent that this process is managed.
• And lastly, I get to celebrate with you the accomplishments that you will achieve by having dedicated yourself to the counselling process. This is a rewarding aspect for both me as your counsellor and for you as the client.