Author: tracymconeill

Why go see a counselling psychologist ?

If you are struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties or a mix of  of issues like grief, loss, addiction, serious illness and many more difficulties that life can throw at you and you feel you need support to cope then counselling can help.

Seeing a therapist is a brave step, its a challenge to sit in front of a stranger and disclose the problems in your life and seek help. It can take a lot of courage to make that first step and make that first appointment but it can be transformative.

Counselling helps support you in your struggles and helps to create an environment to assist you to make changes and or shift your perception of yourself or your issues. It facilitates behavioural change and helps identify patterns of behaviour so you can take steps towards finding a better way to deal with life’s difficulties.Counselling has varied outcomes depending on the client, however I have yet to meet a client that regrets that they went to see a therapist. The common feedback from clients is :

• Improved coping strategies
• Reduced anxiety and improved anxiety management
• Positive behavioural change in relationships
• Increased sense of self awareness and confidence growth
• Overall positive outlook for the future
• Managing thoughts and negative thinking patterns
• Improved self care, better sleep, more energy, improved focus and concentration.

When considering the brave move of facing your issues head on and getting the most out of your therapy consider the following:

• Find a therapist that fits for you, consider what age, gender or background works for you to feel comfortable in.
• Ensure you have the time both emotionally, literally and in your life to devote to therapy so you can get the most out of it.
• Prepare, do some prep work, have a goal for therapy, even if it is just the need to feel better than you do now.
• Commit to your therapy, it works best if you do it regularly, there will be a natural tendency to avoid sometimes try work through that and go.
• Give your therapist feedback if you feel they dont get you or they are not on track with your goal.
• Keep a notebook- what comes up between sessions can be very valuable and is good to note down, also keeping notes of what you are gaining from therapy.