What is Counselling?

Counselling is a talking therapy, based on psychological theories, which usually focuses on emotional or psychological needs and problems. You and your counsellor will look at what has brought you to therapy. The counsellor will help you to identify and understand your problems, express your feelings, gain a deeper insight into your issues and to develop your own resources and emotional resilience.

Is Counselling for Me?

Counselling works best if you:

  • Are willing to engage in the process, recognising therapy as a collaboration

  • Feel ready to face the issues affecting you

  • Are able to identify the most pressing problem


What to expect

The counsellor will:

  • Be professionally trained and registered with a professional body

  • Provide a private setting so that you can feel free to share your concerns in confidence

  • Draw from their training and experience of what has helped others and may offer suggestions such as ‘Have you considered/thought of ...'

  • Provide emotional support

  • Facilitate emotional healing

  • Facilitate emotional growth

The counsellor will not:

  • Give you advice; the purpose of counselling is to help you make your own decisions, to encourage empowerment and autonomy

  • Make a moral judgement about any decision or course of action that you choose to take but will support you in finding your own way forward

  • Have any relationship with you other than a counselling one

  • Be a permanent support or friend to you

 

Some student comments:

" . . . I felt normal for the first time in my life and it has truly changed me forever"

" . . . The setting of a university is challenging for me and counselling helped me feel a bit more comfortable."

" . . . Due to difficult home situations and my struggles with mental health I did consider dropping out and going home. But counselling gives me a place to open up and talk about what I normally wouldn't."

" . . . Talking to someone about my feelings and difficulties in every day life helped me a lot."

" . . . Thank you for all you have and are doing for me. You are the only person who has actually ever helped me."

" . . . It made me see myself in a different light"

" . . . My therapist was understanding, prompted me to really explore my own emotions and allowed me to sit and feel things, something I had been denying myself. He really helped me to understand how I actually felt and was very genuine."

" . . . one of the best counsellors I’ve seen! … feels like she is very up to date and knows what she’s doing."

" . . . has helped me in ways that I didn't think were possible."

" . . . helped me understand my emotions and has listened to how it is affecting me…has helped me feel more settled and less anxious, allowing me to continue with my studies."