I did a search before putting this thread on but couldn't find anything. I have been back to my doctors today and they told me i need councilling sessions. What happens at these and do they work or are they just a waste of time?


No clever answers please i'm not in the mood :thumbsup:

hi mate yes iv tried it they talk to you about your past n now it was good it help me deal with summat that happened to me in past.Im thinkin of avin it again if you ever want to talk pm me:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

hi mate yes iv tried it they talk to you about your past n now it was good it help me deal with summat that happened to me in past.Im thinkin of avin it again if you ever want to talk pm me:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Thanks minnime i'm gonna give it a go just wondered if it would do any good. The tablets they gave me are giving me a headache and making me feel sick. :( :thumbsup:

I had counselling to help me deal with my health problems- I think it's a much more sensible way forwards than taking pills because it helps you to learn coping skills that help you through the rest of your life.

That said, it will only help you if you 'click' with the counsellor, and if you approach the counselling with an open mind.

I will go in with an open mind. I just find it embarrassing going in and talking to someone you don't know like they with think i'm a crackpot or something:(

its even worse when they ask "have you got any problems"
and then the list
job,home,sex,money
tell me one person who can't answer yes to all of them.
hopefully you'll get a better counsellor than she who used to be obeyed got.

I can guarantee that they won't think you're a crackpot- they're highly trained enough to not show it even if they think you are!

Hiya
if you go through your GP the NHS only offer 6 counselling sections and you will have to wait for these (average 16 weeks)

Most Counsellers use the Carl Rogers theory.

Yeah they told me i would have to wait a month or two. Gonna look some stuff up on the net i think.

"Talk therapy" -- or counseling -- is especially effective when used in combination with medication. Please give it a try!

Although it may seem strange at first to tell a stranger about your personal feelings, you'll soon realize the benefit of having a non-judgmental, unbiased person to listen to you and give advice. Parents, siblings and friends have "emotional baggage" that may prevent them from giving you objective suggestions. You don't have to worry about hurting your therapist's feelings!

A counselor also is trained to provide you with "tools" you can use to help yourself deal with future problems. I worked with a counselor who specializes in biofeedback, which was particularly helpful in controlling my OCD and panic disorder. She helped me learn to control my breathing, heart rate and body temperature -- things I still use when facing stressful situations. It was similar to practicing meditation or yoga.

Finally, attitude is everything. Instead of thinking of counseling as something negative, consider it an opportunity to find out more about yourself and explore who you are. Think of your counselor as a "life coach" rather than a therapist. And think of your sessions together as a spa visit for the mind and soul -- the ultimate way of pampering yourself!

Good luck!

I was trained as a counsellor so I can answer some of this - I'm not fully qualified yet though.
Anyway - you can look up types of therapy online, there are lots of types of counselling approaches, each person and organisation has a preference.
My pet group - because I produced a presentation about them as the orgasnisation of my choice is MIND at Lawton Tongue House on Wostenholm Rd. They have a website you can look at.
It's free but donations are very much appreciated, it self referral so you don't need you doctor to sort it for you and they can find someone to suit you instead of whoever is available. It normally happens faster than the NHS too.
I would say most people would benefit from a little time talking to a counsellor. Some people can have those kinds of concersations with friends or family but not everyone and we all need it in order to maintain mental health.
I'd say go for it if you can and don't feel embarrassed, counsellors are very well trained, it takes around 5 years to qualify and very little is shocking by the 3rd year and that's just peer counselling and voluntary work. No matter why you are there, they will first and foremost LISTEN to you and secondly they will be thinking of how to help you reach a goal, either to express yourself, to discuss something causing problems etc, they will also think about how you must FEEL, counsellors have to develop or demonstrate empathy in order to help.
Depending on their preferred style they will eventually, after a few sessions help you to work out what you want to achieve by being there and help you to do that.
MIND normally look at 12 sessions.
Happyhoosier has a lot of that info above correct but some of it will vary person to person, organisation to organisation etc

zebra am currently training as well - good luck

Counselling can be very good if you get a good professional relationship with the counsellor. Counsellors are trained to be non judgemental and acquire good active listening skills. They are like the medics totally respecting your confidentiallity They are trained to empathise with clients but they will not make decisions for you but just sort out the possible solutions to your problems for you to make the decision. I did a 2year course in Counselling Skills

It is useful, but only if you are able to open up a bit.
If you dont want to be helped, they will struggle.

It is useful, but only if you are able to open up a bit.
If you dont want to be helped, they will struggle.
yeah i'm willing to open up i just wondered if it would help also i feel abit silly because when i speak about things i end up crying. :(

in that case it is worth trying it

yeah your right i haven't got anything to lose really:thumbsup:

I would say most people would benefit from a little time talking to a counsellor. .

Wouldn't we all? Nobody has time for anybody but anybody has no time for nobody. We all poddle along thinking that nobody doesn't need anybody when really Nobody needs somebody.

What have you got to lose? Counselling (a term which covers a wide range of therapeutically approaches some of which are no doubt better than others) works for some people and not for others but I’d say you at least owe it too yourself to give it a try.

If you are in a situation where your GP has suggested counselling there are most likely some significant things in your life which could really do with fixing, counselling could well help you fix them, at least give it a try and see if it works for you.

hey there. im glad you are hoping to get some help. dont worry about feeling silly if you cry when you're talking about things. its only natural if what you are talking about has caused you such problems etc. counsellors are all very aware of how hard it can be to talk about things which are bothering you, so they will completely understand. the first time it might be hard but i promise things get easier. anyway, thats what their there for! good luck and let us know how you get on

Hey

I had an abortion when I was 16 and got really messed up by it, I felt really depressed for a while and went to the doctor to try counselling. I ended up not turning up and dealt with the problems myself by changing my lifestyle, I got a new boyfriend who made me feel good, a new job, tried to stop being upset and went out a lot more and I feel really great now!

Counselling isn't for everybody, but good luck!

Iama trained counselor and have ben for many years just check out your counsellor they should be BAC accredited look on the BAC web site. Good luckx