Have you ever asked yourself the question "How can counselling help me?" This is something that I often wondered before having my own therapy. I discovered that counselling brought many positive changes to my life, so much so that I went on to train as a counsellor myself. I now see these changes in my clients as they find improved confidence, greater self awareness and a decreases in symptoms such as depression and anxiety. In this article I will explore how these changes can come about.
Counselling can help you to find clarity and peace of mind.
You know that expression"I can't see the wood for the trees" well this is what it can be like when we are consumed with negative thoughts, stress and self doubt. Talking things through with someone who is not going to tell you what to do can help you to gain a greater understanding of your problems and can help you to find our own solutions.
Increased confidence and self-esteem.
In counselling you can start to explore conscious or unconscious beliefs that you have about yourself and identify any negative self-talk. You can gain a deeper understanding of yourself, start to recognise your strengths and build your resilience. This will result in increased self-esteem.
Find coping strategies.
Your counsellor may suggest trying new coping strategies based on your current situation and will also look at your current strategies which may or may not be working.This can lead to postive change in all areas of your life including work, parenting and relationships.
Find a new perspective.
Talking things through with someone who is impartial can help you to gain new insight and to see things from another point of you. This can help you to develop compassion towards both yourself and others and can reduce negative emotions such as guilt and anger.
Release supressed emotions.
Expressing your emotions in a safe space can be very helpful. We all suppress our emotions at times but if we do this continuously and for a long time then they can start to 'spill out' in an unhealthy way. This can lead to outbursts of anger or rage either directed at ourself or others. Supressed emotions can also start to show up in the body such as with headaches, muscle tension or digestive problems.
Find purpose or direction in your life.
You may find that you start to discover what is most important to you and begin to set yourself some goals for the future. You may decide that you want to step outside your comfort zone and this is where real change happens. Acheiving new goals help to increase confidence and self esteem.
Healthier relationships.
By talking about your relationships you can start to identify the areas you would like to improve and find techniques to help you with this. You may have relationships that are not working for you and counselling can help you to find your way through this.
Counselling can help you to feel connected.
This is such an important point. Social connection can help to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, can help us to feel less alone and less isolated. Building a trusting relationship with your counsellor can then lead on to you developing deeper connections with other people in your life.
I hope you have found this useful. Counselling and Psychotherapy can really help to achieve greater wellbeing and can lead to living a happier and healthier life. If you would like to start this journey do contact me to arrange a free telephone consultation.