Is Counselling For You?
When Can It Be Helpful To See A Counsellor?
Thousands of years ago, when our ancestors lived in tribal communities, they would gather around the campfire and tell stories about their experiences, receiving comfort and support from the community and perhaps words of wisdom from their elders. Human life has changed significantly since then, but our need for comfort, validation and guidance still remains. Like our ancestors, these needs can often be met by family, friends or colleagues, but at other times there may be reasons why we do not seek the support of those around us. Perhaps well-meaning advice hasn’t quite hit the mark, or maybe there is a desire not to burden others. Perhaps there is a sense that others simply won’t ‘get it’, that we will be negatively judged, or we prefer to just keep ourselves to ourselves. It is in these instances that time spent with a Counsellor can be really beneficial.
What Can Counselling Help With?
Counselling is a type of talking therapy that mostly focuses on the ‘here and now’ and is a useful resource for many of life’s challenges. Counselling is often sought by those experiencing existential challenges such as grief and loss, difficult relationships, unexpected change, issues at work, low self-esteem or feeling overwhelmed by life events. Life can throw curve-balls sometimes, and often, when we need help, it isn’t just ‘one thing’. A challenging life event can be like a stone thrown into water – it makes concentric circles that spread out across a wider area, so we may find ourselves experiencing anxiety where we didn’t before, overthinking or experiencing lots of negative thoughts, feeling generally fed up and lacking motivation, feeling down on ourselves or criticizing ourselves harshly, having bouts of ‘out of character’ anger or just feeling unable to cope. It’s easier to deal with what we know. It’s the unknown that tends to throw us off balance. Through talking, we can gain greater understanding of our experience, making the unknown, known and therefore creating problem-solving opportunities.
How Can I Help?
My name is Penni Osborn and I’m a Counsellor and Therapist with Anglia Counselling (Newmarket) Ltd, in beautiful Suffolk. I understand that, for many, there are reservations around reaching out for professional help. Some worry about confidentiality, or fear being told there’s something ‘wrong’ with them. Others may think that it’s selfish to ask for help. And of course, when employing a private practitioner, there is a financial consideration too. It may take months or even years to make the decision to begin counselling. But, in my experience, once that commitment has been made, all previous fears rapidly disappear and significant relief is achieved, even after just one session.
I’m here for you and I’m on your side. I am not clinical and therefore won’t diagnose you, I won’t judge you, or tell you what you ‘should’ do. Reaching out for help is certainly not selfish. If we put ourselves first sometimes, and care for our wellbeing, we’re more able to show up for others – fact. As far as confidentiality is concerned, you only share what you want to, and counsellors are excellent at keeping secrets!
Penni Osborn, Counsellor & Therapist, Anglia Counselling (Newmarket) Ltd
What Happens In A Counselling Session?
Here, in my relaxing therapy room in Rosemary House, Lanwades Business Park, Kentford, Newmarket CB8 7PN, you will find me to be welcoming, friendly and genuinely interested in you and your story. I’m eager to help you rediscover your innate qualities and natural abilities and bring them to the forefront so you can feel more in control, able to cope and motivated to move forwards towards a life that works best for you. I do my best to see life through my clients’ eyes and decades of lived experience helps me achieve this.
Sessions involve me listening very carefully so I can deeply understand where things are at for you right now and what this means, uniquely, for you. Typically, we would aim to agree a goal (or goals), i.e. becoming more assertive with colleagues, or strategies to manage feelings of loss when they arise, and our sessions will focus on moving towards this goal or goals.
I may ask questions along the way, make suggestions or offer coping techniques. I see my role as a navigator, helping my clients to drive safely towards their desired destination. It may not be a linear journey, there may be twists and turns along the way and perhaps a pit-stop or two, but ultimately, you are the expert on you and are therefore firmly in the drivers seat.
Please be reassured that my intention would be to help you move through your difficulties in the quickest time possible. You are in complete control of how many sessions you have and how often you attend (although it is better, at least to start with, to keep sessions reasonably close together, just to ‘get the ball rolling’). Many people find that just a few sessions are enough to put them back on track again. For others, it may take longer, but remember this is an investment in your wellbeing that, once made, could last a lifetime.
My Therapy Room At Anglia Counselling (Newmarket) Ltd, Kentford CB8 7PN
In Short…
Ultimately, your time spent with me is time exclusively for you. I offer a safe, non-clinical, space where you can let go of your worries and find solutions to problems. Just talking things through can provide a great sense of relief. When we verbalize our concerns and these are met with understanding and empathy, it can feel like a heavy burden has been lifted. We may realize that what we are experiencing is, in fact, a normal, human reaction to an abnormal situation. It’s ok to not be ok! This realization can bring with it both the strength and the motivation for change. Counselling is both preventative and the ultimate in self-care. Why not begin your life-changing journey today?
Get In Touch
If you are an adult individual (over 21 years) and are interested in working with me, please do get in touch:-
Penni Osborn
email: [email protected]
mobile: (+44) 07731 835265
I will respond to your call/mail in the shortest time possible. Typically, I offer a free, no obligation chat on the phone where we can discuss your needs and how I may be able to help. You can also ask any questions you may have before deciding if you’d like to go ahead and book your first session.
A variety of appointment times are available and I can be flexible if required. Appointment requests can usually be accommodated very quickly, typically within a few days of initial contact.
Other Services
At Anglia Counselling (Newmarket) Ltd, Bob Brotchie and Penni Osborn offer a wide of Counselling and Therapy services. For more information regarding these, along with details of fees and location, please visit our website: www.angliacounselling.co.uk
