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What is Counselling?

Counselling is a confidential dialogue between a client and a therapist aimed at enabling the client to cope with stress and take personal decisions related to their particular situation through addressing and resolving issues and dealing with their personal and interpersonal conflicts.  It can involve identifying options and choosing between them, learning new skills to cope better with problems, gaining greater understanding of what is occurring, or being supported while recovering from some significant life event.

 

Counselling is a collaborative process that involves the development of a unique, confidential helping relationship. The counsellor acts as a facilitator in helping clients to understand feelings, behaviours, relationships with others, situations, choices and decisions in a safe, confidential and non-judgmental context.

 

Counsellors can provide expert advice on matters in their areas of specialisation and possess skills in specific therapeutic modalities, e.g. cognitive behaviour therapy, rational emotive therapy, family therapy.

 

Counsellors also provide support in the form of information, advice, mediation and referral to a range of services.

What are the aims of Counselling?
What issues might be discussed with Counsellors?

  • Counselling aims to help improve relationships across all areas of our lives.

  • Gain clarity and perspective on the issue;

  • Provide the client with the support they need to resolve issues and make decisions;

  • Deal with negative feelings and emotions;

  • Explore personal resources and develop new skills.

  • Assist clients to find answers, which are best suited to their own individual needs and lifestyle.

  • To help individuals and/or couples understand the relationship they have.

  • Help couples discover why they chose each other in the first place.

  • Help couples find out what they wanted from their relationship and from each other.

  • Help individuals understand how they contributed to each unique relationship in their lives.

  • Discuss with individuals what they feel now and determine what they are prepared to do to make their particular situation work.

Couples Counselling 3

  • Feelings of anxiety, depression or stress.

  • Concerns about work (adjusting to the workplace, concentration and motivation difficulties, workplace changes, etc)

  • Relationship problems (family, partners, friends, housemates).

  • Parenting difficulties or developing effective parenting skills.

  • Loss or trauma and associated grief.

  • Worries about lack of confidence, body image, self esteem.

What to expect.

  • Counselling assists the client resolve conscious conflicts with the focus on setting goals and problem solving. A wide variety of techniques may be used including verbal communication. Counsellors assist the client to focus on constructive behaviours, which will help the client reach specific goals.

 

  • Your first session will involve an exploration of what is troubling you. The counsellor will primarily listen to you and may discuss with you some strategies to help you deal with your situation. The aim of such sessions is to reach an informed decision.

 

  • Counselling sessions are extensive 60 minute one-to-one sessions which may occur every week, fortnight or month, until your situation is resolved. 

 

  • These sessions are conducted by a qualified counsellor and member of both the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors and the Australian Counselling Association

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