Counselling and Psychotherapy
Sometimes it helps to talk things over with someone who can be objective without the emotional involvement of family and friends.
What can you expect from psychotherapy and counselling?
An effective counsellor or psychotherapist :
- understands depression and how to lift it
- helps immediately with anxiety problems such as panic attacks, nightmares, post traumatic stress and phobias
- is prepared to give information and advice as needed
- will not use jargon or ‘psychobabble' or tell you that counselling or psychotherapy has to be ‘painful’
- will not dwell unduly on the past
- will be supportive when difficult feelings emerge, but won’t encourage people to get emotional beyond the normal need to ‘let go’ of bottled up feelings.
- will help you to both draw and build upon your own inner resources (which may prove greater than you thought)
- may assist you in developing your social skills so that your needs for affection, friendship, pleasure, intimacy, connection, to the wider community etc can be better fulfilled.
- will be considerate of the effects of counselling on the people close to you
- may teach you to relax deeply
- will help you think about your problems in new, more empowering ways
- uses a wide range of techniques as appropriate
- may ask you to do things between sessions
- will take as few sessions as possible
- will increase yourself confidence and independence and make sure you feel better after every consultation.
This list was originally published by the European Therapy Studies Institute (ETSI) to help improve the quality of psychotherapeutic interventions, particularly with regard to what, in the light of current knowledge, the public should expect form counselling and psychotherapy.
You can expect:
- to have the chance to explore problems in a safe and confidential environment
- to be listened to with sensitivity and be supported but not judged
- to receive help to see things differently and/or cope with problems or reduce them to something that can be managed and faced.
- to be offered a trusting, caring professional relationship
- to have the chance to be heard and understood
Please refer to Human Givens Counselling for fast effective help.