I believe I have one of the greatest privileges to come alongside people from all different walks of life. Usually, it’s when life gets difficult or messy, and my job is not to fix anyone but rather to provide a safe place where we can unpack the complexities of life together, whether it’s someone experiencing relationship challenges, stress, anxiety, depression or having lost a loved one, to name a few.
One of the best questions you can get asked when your work is in a field as such is “what do you do?” Mental health has come a long way, yet there seems to be some lingering stigma. My response is usually “I am a counsellor”, and I wait for the reaction… typically I get three types of responses, and here they are:
- those who are grateful that at some point in their life they sought counselling and will share how it was helpful to them
- those who like the idea of walking with others and ask questions about what it is that I do
- those who say they don’t need counselling
I don’t know what your thoughts are about counselling, and wherever you sit at the moment, I am glad that you’ve decided to keep reading. In a nutshell, counselling is not for a particular group of people, and it can be for anyone who requires a safe place to unpack their pain. Whether they have been carrying it for a long or short time, healing can come from being heard and validated.
Counselling can also be for those looking to set new goals and are feeling stuck. Depending on what challenges are presented, a counselling plan is made, and the potential interventions are discussed with the client, who is in the driver’s seat of the process. The aim is for each person who comes to counselling to leave empowered and gain a new perspective of themselves or their situation.
I wonder if just as cars need maintenance, so do we! Whether it’s a trip to the dentist, doctor, chiropractor or counsellor. My intention of this Blog is to shed a different light on the topic, and if you feel like you could benefit from some counselling, why not try it out?
On a side note, if you feel like the counsellor isn’t a good fit, I encourage you to keep looking until you find one that is, as it’s an essential part of the process to feel comfortable. If you are in search of a counsellor, a suggestion would be to ensure that they’re registered with a Counselling Association; this ensures industry guidelines govern them. All the best and until next time. C
Australian Register of Counsellors & Psychotherapists
Recommended Resource: Counselling Episode
