© Steve Merritt 2010 - 2021
What Is Counselling?
The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy defines counselling as follows:
Counselling
takes
place
when
a
counsellor
sees
a
client
in
a
private
and
confidential
setting
to
explore
a
difficulty
the
client
is
having,
distress
they
may
be
experiencing
or
perhaps
their
dissatisfaction
with
life,
or
loss
of
a
sense
of direction and purpose. It is always at the request of the client as no one can properly be 'sent' for counselling.
By
listening
attentively
and
patiently
the
counsellor
can
begin
to
perceive
the
difficulties
from
the
client's
point
of
view
and
can
help
them
to
see
things
more
clearly,
possibly
from
a
different
perspective.
Counselling
is
a
way
of
enabling
choice
or
change
or
of
reducing
confusion.Â
It
does
not
involve
giving
advice
or
directing
a
client
to
take
a particular course of action. Counsellors do not judge or exploit their clients in any way.
In
the
counselling
sessions
the
client
can
explore
various
aspects
of
their
life
and
feelings,
talking
about
them
freely
and
openly
in
a
way
that
is
rarely
possible
with
friends
or
family.
Bottled
up
feelings
such
as
anger,
anxiety,
grief
and
embarrassment
can
become
very
intense
and
counselling
offers
an
opportunity
to
explore
them,
with
the
possibility
of
making
them
easier
to
understand.
The
counsellor
will
encourage
the
expression
of
feelings
and
as
a
result
of
their
training
will
be
able
to
accept
and
reflect
the
client's
problems
without
becoming
burdened
by
them.
Acceptance
and
respect
for
the
client
are
essentials
for
a
counsellor
and,
as
the
relationship
develops,
so
too
does
trust
between
the
counsellor
and
client,
enabling
the
client
to
look
at
many
aspects
of
their
life,
their
relationships
and
themselves
which
they
may
not
have
considered
or
been
able
to
face
before.
The
counsellor
may
help
the
client
to
examine
in
detail
the
behaviour
or
situations
which
are
proving
troublesome
and
to
find
an
area
where
it
would
be
possible
to
initiate
some
change
as
a
start.
The
counsellor
may
help
the
client
to
look
at
the
options
open to them and help them to decide the best for them.