Counselling: Dispelling the Myths
If I need counselling, I must be in real trouble; I must have failed in some way.
If you recognise and find courage to consider counselling, whether for emotional ‘niggles’ or for something you feel is more serious, this is a success in your life. A failure might be considered if you continued to neglect seeking to resolve a problem that leaves you feeling ‘less than’.
I’m frightened to admit I may need to talk.
I’m frightened to admit I may need to talk.It is completely natural to be anxious if you are considering counselling, or indeed anything that you have not experienced before. We naturally feel nervous about most anything we have no experience of. Think of your first day at work and then reflect and compare those feelings and emotions of that day with how you felt just one month later.
What do those who have engaged counselling say?
For those who need the level of support I offer, such as those I define as troubled with mild to moderate emotional turmoil; almost exclusively, clients report value and immediate relief following their very first meeting. See if you can canvass the experiences and opinions of any trusted friends, colleagues, or family who have experienced a therapeutic session and hear what they say (if they are someone that is prepared to confide and share with you, and it is appropriate).
Or you can of course search through the internet for those others who have gone before and who have already shared their story.
My business is my business, right?
Absolutely! You choose that which you wish to share as in the example above. In fact while you are seeing a therapist you are encouraged to keep the details of the work you are engaged in between you and the counsellor – as to share with others who have anything other than a professional interest and who may be well meaning can compromise the work in progress. This is not to say that if someone asks how you are, that you cannot answer!
Personally identifiable information and everything discussed during a session with a counsellor is completely confidential. A caveat to this is where it is learned that the client may pose a significant risk of harm to themselves or others; In this case a duty of care exists for the professional to manage that risk.
Non–identifiable details around the context of a case may be discussed between the counsellor and his or her supervisor to ensure your counsellor is maintaining standards and for their own wellbeing. The supervisor is also bound by the same terms of confidentiality. Professionals are required in law to maintain your confidentiality and take measures to ensure this is the case with up to date knowledge of requirements around information governance and effective security.
Please ask if you would like for more details on this or any other aspect of counselling.
Bob Brotchie
Bob Brotchie is a counsellor, life coach and creator of Conscious Living by Design™. He writes for Anglia Counselling, is featured on various other websites and introduces us to many guest writers all covering topics related to mental health and wellbeing.
Bob provides bespoke counselling services to clients in the privacy and comfort of a truly welcoming environment at his Anglia Counselling company office, located near Newmarket in Suffolk, England. Bob also provides professional online counselling, for local, national, and international clients. The therapeutic models offered are bespoke to the client’s needs, especially those in receipt of 'childhood emotional neglect' (CEN), whilst integrating a mindful approach to psychotherapy and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) principles. For clients experiencing trauma and/or phobia, Bob offers EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing).