Is Therapy for You?

Reaching out for support can feel daunting, especially if you have never tried therapy before. Feeling unsure, nervous or skeptical is completely normal when it comes to trying something new, especially something like therapy which is often shrouded in mystery. I hope this pages gives you a clearer picture and helps you decide whether counselling might be right for you.

Counselling and Psychotherapy can be valuable tools for improving your mental health, your emotional well-being and your general quality of life. People come to therapy for many different reasons and some get great benefit out of it but for others it might not be the right time or fit for them.

Psychotherapy is not a quick fix. It is a process that can take time and effort. Many people do however notice a shift after just a few sessions. It’s often a sense of being heard or seeing things from a new angle that can bring about a sense of hope from early on in the process. Counselling is also not an advice giving service. I will not tell you what to do. Instead, I will help you explore your thoughts and feelings and help you see your options, to help you make informed decisions and help you to trust yourself with coming to your own conclusions. Along the way I will suggest tools, techniques and strategies to help you as you explore and make changes in your life.

Why do people attend therapy?

Some of the most common reasons people look for support include:

• Feeling anxious

• Suffering from low mood and depression

• Relationship issues, family conflict and parenting issues

• Navigating major life changes such as divorce, loss of a loved one, pet bereavement, or children moving out of home

• Coping with stress of high pressure jobs or overwhelming responsibilities in and outside of the home

• Managing anger and emotional regulation

• Personal growth and self discovery, building confidence or seeking direction and purpose

Do I need to be in crisis to go to therapy?

Many people assume therapy is only for crisis but for a lot of people therapy can be very beneficial even when on the surface things are looking fine. You might be working, managing your responsibilities and functioning day to day but internally you might be feeling off. There might be a sense of emptiness or flatness, low mood that’s hard to explain, irritability, or feeling a disconnect from yourself. You might be exhausted from taking care of others and feel there is no time for yourself. You don’t need to be at breaking point to work with these feelings in therapy.

Can therapy help if I don’t know what’s wrong?

You don’t need to arrive at your counselling with clarity. Most people come to therapy without the words to express how they are feeling. They might say they just don’t feel like themselves or something is off. Nothing major has happened but they feel down or heavy. You don’t need the right explanation to begin. We will explore it and find the language for it together.