THE KNOWN
When clients come into my counselling room it is usually because life in some way has ceased to become manageable. They have become aware that something is not right; they cannot understand responses and reactions. The responses may be anger, chaotic, deep sadness, ongoing depression, unresolvable anxiety. The known is how they feel. The unkown is why.
THE UNKNOWN
Psychotherapy and Counselling intends to bring meaning where none is observable by the client. One of the guiding principles of psychotherapy is that where meaning can be found then the thing becomes more understandable and more capable of response and resolution.
THE PROCESS
The counsellor will often seek initially to establish how the client feels towards certain events that are present in their life. Therapy provides a safe environment within which clients can explore uncomfortable feelings. Feelings are the response to life events and they are often automatic and apparently unlinked. This is often represented as a feeling or response which is disproportionate to what is going on in the present.
COUNSELLING THE TROUBLED CLIENT
When this occurs we can be fairly certain that assumptions exist within the clients unconscious that act as triggers to which the clients feelings and consequent behaviour responds. The skill and work of the counsellor is to shine a light on these uncomfortable patterns and then to support the client as they work through establishing a different narrative to that represented by their past experience.
WHAT TO DO
It is often a nerve wracking step to come for counselling. Taking the first step is difficult but you are worth it.