The first time I walked into a counselling room I felt really nervous and was wondering what to expect. Where will I sit, what will I say, can she read my mind, how will I know if this is any good for me, can I really gain any benefits from this, what if she doesn’t like me or I don’t like her. These were just some of the many thoughts bombarding me as I waited to go in to the therapy room. I didn't really know about any of the benefits, just that it was likely to help me sort out my stuff! My counsellor quickly put me at ease as we established what we expected from each other and I found that my racing thoughts began to settle and I was able to focus on why I was there. Together we went on to explore what was happening for me and what my feelings and emotions were around my problems and how they were affecting my life and behaviour. With my Counsellor’s help I was able to recognise some of my recurring patterns and also she helped me to find some great coping strategies and ways of communicating with others. This initial time spent with my counsellor has always stood out as an important part of my life and now that I’ve managed to deal with the big challenges and gained some of the benefits of counselling I am able to dip in and out of sessions as and when the occasion arises. Counselling has helped me to find it easier to cope with everyday situations and it has helped me to release the burden of my emotions and worries leaving me feeling less alone and more in control.
I think that although counselling isn’t as specific as choosing a nail colour or a hairstyle it does however, come tailored to the individual person, with the counsellor working with you through each step and each session.
So here’s a list of just some of the benefits of counselling and I hope that they help you to clarify what a great type of therapy counselling is: 1. Feel a sense of relief 2. Feel less anxious and stressed 3. Feel more energised 4. Feel heard and listened to 5. Receive emotional support 6. Gain coping mechanisms 7. Resolve issues 8. Ease the process of loss and grief 9. Have a safe space to vent frustrations and feelings 10. Frees you of worry 11. Helps to create better levels of communication 12. You feel less alone with your problems 13. Find it easier to cope in every-day life 14. Helps to improve your well-being 15. Creates a greater sense of awareness of self 16. See your thoughts from a different perspective
17. Helps you to recognise patterns of behaviour
18. Helps you to recognise triggers to your anxieties and emotions
19. Helps you to reach goals
20. The knock on effect also helps to improve physical wellbeing