The Gift That Just Keeps Giving

Discovering the cost and value of counselling – or not!

There are a number of barriers that prospective clients of therapy perceive. The financial implications are just one of these but if the financial cost of employing guidance appears high, just imagine the ongoing costs without!

Cash for Leisure

Allocating funds for pleasure pursuits is a great thing to do in order to maintain wellbeing and balance. How much would you spend for a night out at the cinema, a show, concert, meal with loved ones and friends? £50, £60, more? And what if you are a social butterfly? Ouch! A holiday, £1,000, £2,000…

The Emotional Hit

During the leisure (pleasure) activity we can know we are feeling something of value (or not). We can share how much we’re enjoying the [add experience here…].

Thinking about the next day, the following weeks and months, how powerful are the emotions, not the memory, compared to the event at the time? Sadly, the emotions will be weak or nil, but at least we can remember that it was good, if it was!

Filling the Emotional Gap

How often do you spend cash on short-hit gratification to fulfil a sense of discontent? Individually, items bought in this way may seem trite but add them up and it can be shocking to discover the true extent of spends for meals, alcohol, and whatever other activities temporarily meet an emotional need.

It’ll be alright when…

I can distinctly recall my wake-up call from many years of spending or seeking the next thing! Nothing physically happened – it was simply an epiphany. The inner dialogue went something like this. See if it resonates with you.
It’ll be alright when I… get a partner, go on holiday, get the next car, house or home, latest tech-gadget,  promotion, blah, blah.
And of course, it never is, is it? The pleasure of a new car might last a few weeks, the memories of a holiday are nice, but the previously associated emotions quickly dissipate!

The Value Proposition

What is it worth to us ‘if’ we can receive guidance and work collaboratively, in pursuit of new ways of thinking, behaving and ‘being’?

WHO (World Health Organisation) published a fact sheet on the  types of illness requiring interventions – and the impact failing to manage them can have.

Consumer Reports published an unbiased report on the effectiveness of drugs versus talking therapy and found that whilst both helped, talking therapy held no significant side effects and was less “trial-and-error”.

“With or without drugs, most people who sought care for depression or anxiety gained relief. A survey of thousands of CR subscribers who recently received treatment for those conditions found that:

  • A combination of talk therapy and drugs often worked best. But “mostly talk” therapy was almost as effective if it lasted for 13 or more visits.
  • “Mostly drug” therapy was also effective for many people. Drugs had a quicker impact on symptoms than talk therapy, but it often took trial and error to find a drug that worked without unacceptable side effects.
  • Forty percent of people who took antidepressants complained of adverse sexual side effects.
  • Care from primary-care doctors was effective for people with mild problems, but less so for people with severe ones.(CR)”

Is That All?

I’m not suggesting that counselling, guidance, talking therapy (call it what you will) or drugs, are the panacea to all our ills and that once received we will never be psychologically challenged ever again; that would clearly be ridiculous! But receiving impartial, nonjudgementally facilitated guidance can and will, for those receptive, provide fresh insight, new perspectives and fertile ground for which to grow, ad infinitum.

Now, what would you pay for that? If you’re considering talking therapy for a persistent behaviour or negative, anxious thoughts, call or write now

Here is an excellent 7 minute video introduction, by Dr Mark Widdowson, covering most of the questions people seeking a counsellor ask or want to consider. If you have remaining questions or want to hear from me personally to help your decision, this is most welcome too.

About the author

Bob Brotchie is a counsellor, mindset consultant 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 individuals and couples 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).