Why Counselling?
We all go through periods in our lives when things are more difficult for us and sometimes we can get a bit stuck in our ways of being and thinking.
Counselling is often described as ‘talking therapy’ and it may be helpful to talk to someone outside your circle of family and friends, in a confidential space about whatever is troubling you and to find ways forward out of that ‘stuckness’.
Counselling can help to identify your strengths and resources, find new perspectives and develop new skills.
My way of working is to listen to you, to understand your world from your point of view, and to work with you to identify your own solutions.
I believe that change is always possible, though this does not mean it is easy and George Kelly of Personal Construct Theory said:
’No one needs to paint themselves into a corner, no one needs to be completely hemmed in by circumstances, no one needs to be the victim of their biography’
and
‘All our present perceptions are open to question and reconsideration . . . . and even the most obvious occurrences of everyday life might appear utterly transformed if we were inventive enough to construe them differently.’
Counselling offers a safe and confidential space in which you might want to explore your:
- patterns of behaviour
- relationships
- painful feelings and emotions
- difficult decisions
- past and present life events
- ways of thinking
You might want to use counselling to help you:
- understand yourself better
- look at your concerns
- resolve difficulties
- relieve distress
- make effective change
- learn how to cope
- increase your self-awareness
- develop personal growth
This is not an exhaustive list and whatever you bring to counselling, I will listen to you with attention, respect, and without judgement.
If you are unsure if counselling might help you, please get in touch to discuss.
Testimonial
“For anyone considering reaching out to a counsellor, please do. I understand firsthand that it is a big step to make, but once that step is made, that is when the real journey begins.
I reached out to Sheila around two months ago when I was feeling particularly low. I had close to no self-confidence and felt an extreme amount of guilt for past decisions and mistakes. I tried dealing with these issues myself or speaking to family and friends – which are both effective coping mechanisms for some – but everybody is different.
Counselling for me was a whole different experience. I felt in such a safe environment to talk freely of judgment. Although at first, it felt painful, and at times embarrassing, to explain my situation to Sheila, I was always made to feel extremely comfortable and accepted – something I have not experienced before.
I could not tell you the specific words Sheila said, or the exact exercise she suggested, that helped me to face my problems. It was simply the entire process that helped me work on myself, week by week growing stronger and more accepting of myself.
It made me sad to think that as I was beginning to feel more myself, that my sessions with Sheila would end. This just goes to show how beneficial these sessions were to me. I feel proud of myself for reaching out and getting help during a difficult time. In my head, my problems felt small in relation to others, I felt I maybe did not deserve the help that Shiela could give me. But I went for it, and I can whole-heartedly say that I am a better person for it today.”
24 year old – 3/08/2021
