What is Counselling?
If you are considering counselling, you may be feeling unsure about what it involves or whether it is right for you.
Many people question whether their difficulties are “serious enough,” or feel they should be coping better on their own.
Counselling is not only for moments of crisis—it can also be a supportive space for making sense of everyday challenges, emotional difficulties, and periods of change.
Counselling is a talking therapy where you meet with a qualified therapist in a safe and confidential space, either face-to-face or online. It offers you time and space to talk openly, to be listened to without judgement, and to explore whatever is affecting your wellbeing.
People come to counselling for many different reasons. You do not need to have a clear explanation for how you feel, or a specific goal in mind. Sometimes counselling begins simply with a sense that something is not quite right, or that you would like support in understanding yourself better.
Who Is Counselling For?
Counselling is for anyone who is finding life difficult in some way and would like a supportive, confidential space to talk and reflect. This might include:
Feeling anxious, low, stressed, or emotionally overwhelmed
Struggling with self-esteem, confidence, or self-criticism
Relationship difficulties with partners, family, friends, or colleagues
Life transitions such as changes in work, parenthood, separation, or moving home
Experiences of loss, grief, or unresolved past events
Feeling stuck, disconnected, or unsure about direction or purpose
Wanting to better understand emotional patterns or relationships
Counselling can also be helpful if you appear to be coping on the outside but feel unsettled, exhausted, or unsupported internally. Whether your concerns feel recent or long-standing, counselling offers a space where your experiences are taken seriously and explored with care.
A counsellor will not tell you what to do, give advice, or prescribe medication. Instead, counselling is a collaborative process where we work together to explore your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. This can support you in developing coping strategies, understanding patterns in your life, and making changes at a pace that feels safe and manageable.
How I Work
Person-centred therapy is at the heart of my practice. It is based on the belief that, given the right conditions, people have the capacity to grow, heal, and change. I aim to offer these conditions by being honest, non-judgemental, and welcoming, and by meeting you with empathy and respect for your unique experiences and the path that has brought you here.
Alongside this, psychodynamic theory helps us explore how past experiences may be influencing your present thoughts, emotions, and relationships. This approach can support you in recognising patterns or unresolved issues that continue to affect you today, often outside of conscious awareness.
As an integrative counsellor, I combine person-centred and psychodynamic approaches to create a therapeutic process tailored to you. No two people are the same, and our work together will focus on what feels most helpful for you, supporting greater self-understanding, emotional resilience, and emotional wellbeing over time.
