Do I need counselling?

Hello and welcome to TalkingTherapy

In our blog, we will be publishing a series of short and simple blog articles on some topics that we often get questions about.

To start with, we will talk about whether you need counselling or psychotherapy. Many people will likely benefit from one course of therapy in their life but it becomes particularly critical to get help when your life becomes affected by how you feel. For example, if you continuously feel very anxious, down and it is affecting your personal and professional life or general functioning such as eating and sleeping. If you are having persistent dark thoughts, it is particularly important that you contact your GP first and then consider counselling.

Sometimes you may notice certain patterns replaying in your life or your relationships. Therapy or counselling may help to understand what is going on for you. As some prominent psychotherapy authors say, awareness brings choices. Once you are aware of your feelings, behavioural patterns, and how they are connected to your past, you may find it possible to experiment with doing things slightly differently.

If you are in an immediate crisis because of a tragic or traumatic event, you may need help quite urgently. The same applies if you had a history of traumatic events in the past. Our counsellors and psychotherapists have various areas of expertise and would be able to help.