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What is Counselling?

Counselling is when you consult a properly trained and qualified individual to talk about problems and issues in your life. It is a method that allows a person to discuss and work through their problems and arrive at new perspectives that can have a positive impact on their life. Counselling may be challenging or upsetting at times, but it is also a highly beneficial and constructive experience for many. Seeing a counsellor is not a sign of weakness or failure, as it can actually take considerable strength to first admit to and then seek out help with our problems. Counselling is carried out in a confidential and private location, often in private consulting rooms.

Counselling can be thought of as:

• Offering support and help to the client.
• It is intended to enhance the psychological well being of the client.
• Offering support to build a practical strategy to minimise risk.
• The term counselling has quite a broad meaning and varies based upon the training, expertise and personality of the counsellor, as well as what the client brings to the sessions.
• Counselling is non-judgmental, and contrary to popular opinion isn’t based on giving advice to the client or instructing them on what to do, but rather it is about helping the client explore and find their own solutions.

A counsellor is a properly trained and supervised mental health professional who will maintain confidentiality and respect your privacy. They should respect your point of view whilst assisting you to improve your handling of specific issues, deal with problems, enhance your relationships, or acquire improved ways of being. Counselling is usually a collaborative effort involving you and the counsellor cooperating to discover solutions for handling problems that have been psychologically holding and limiting a client. It may be working to get over problems that are getting in the way of you receiving what you want in life. It assists you in dealing with the consequences of past experiences and find helpful approaches to get over them. Counselling makes it possible to accomplish this by uncovering your thought patterns, anxieties, old routines and ways of being. A counsellor doesn’t tell you how to handle things, but might make suggestions that you can take into consideration, and will assist you to examine and think about your life.

Counselling may help with:

• bereavement
• anxieties
• relationship problems
• improve confidence and self-esteem
• gaining insight into yourself and your problems
• depression
• cope with redundancy
• work stress
• sadness
• achieving your ambitions
• gaining a positive outlook on life
• understanding others

It could take some time for you to see benefits from counselling, depending on your life issues and the range of difficulties being presented on your part. Counselling is actually a disciplined, ethical and professional activity. It can be used with individuals, couples, families or groups and can be employed in widely varying situations and settings.

You can receive counselling from both counsellors and psychotherapists.   They are both trained in counselling skills, however psychotherapists usually undergo longer and much more extensive training.

Counsellors have diverse styles, personalities, degrees of training, world views and strategies but what is most important is to find the right person, someone you feel you can work with.

Are you looking for a counsellor in Manchester?

Nigel Magowan is a qualified and UKCP Registered psychotherapist and counsellor in Manchester. He has been in full-time private practice since 2002.  His counselling and psychotherapy ManchesterCity Centre practice is in Piccadilly, near Piccadilly Garden and the Northern Quarter.  Within easy travelling distance from Chorlton, South Manchester, Altrincham, Didsbury, Salford, Stockport, Macclesfield, Withington, Worsley. Call him on 07463 542368 to book your counselling appointment now.

By Nigel Magowan

The post What is Counselling? appeared on Inner Changes Manchester Counselling/Psychotherapy, NLP, Life Coaching and Clinical Hypnotherapy.