Getting the care and support needed at any point throughout your life
Counselling is a process in which an individual, couple or family meet with a warranted counsellor to discuss and disclose about issues and difficulties which will be causing turmoil and distress to the individual and/or the family system. Counselling sessions are approximately 50-60 minutes in length and the frequency of the sessions depends on the individual circumstances and the agreement between the counsellor and the client. The provision of a safe and confidential space is crucial for the client to feel comfortable to discuss sensitive information and disclosures. The counsellor will build a trusting and transparent relationship with the client, which ultimantely models other relationships that should be fostered in an individual’s life.
Counselling increases self-awareness and enables clients to reflect about their thoughts and emotions in a more advanced manner to further clarity and develop their own understanding of their reality. Reaching out is very important in trying times, so speaking up is encouraged especially with loved one and friends as feeling supported helps individuals to feel more understood. However, sometimes, such support is not enough, one would need further professional guidance and support which can be provided by a counsellor. A therapist is legally and ethically obliged to provide confidentiality, adopt a non-judgemental stance and an objective and unbiased space for the client to express themselves freely.
Clients going through difficulties such as; anxiety, anger, relationship problems, identity issues, depression and other realities will be able to be supported theraputically by a counsellor to discuss, process and slowly work through such difficulties. Counsellors may offer information, but they refrain from offering advice or telling clients what they should think or do. They actually help the client in the process of coming up with their own understanding, acceptance and solutions of the problem.
Counselling is not a quick fix, depending on the goals of therapy one can attend sessions for a long period of time. Counsellors usually use different techniques and aexercises to cater for the client’s individual needs. Counsellors may have different approaches and come from different schools of thought but all are flexible and work on what the client brings to the sessions. Counsellors provide individual face-to-face sessions, group sessions and some also provide online sessions.
The ultimate aim of counselling is to support and guide individuals to come to terms with the problems they are facing and to eventually overcome them or find ways of coping with their lived reality.