There’s a common perception that you only need to see a counsellor if you’re in the midst of a personal crisis. It’s true that a counsellor can provide support when you’re going through difficult times due to a big life event like a loss, a breakup or a personal disaster, there are so many more ways that a counsellor can help. Here are four reasons you might make an appointment with a counsellor even when you’re not experiencing a crisis.

You want help with setting personal goals

Perhaps you’re considering making a change in your life. Maybe you’re feeling a bit lost and aimless and want to find a focus to work towards. A counsellor can help you with that.

Goal-setting and generating plans to achieve goals is something I enjoy helping my clients with. We’ll spend a bit of time defining your values and what really matters to you. We can dig into the things that you’re feeling dissatisfied with and start to formulate a picture of how you would like things to be. We’ll set achievable goals that incorporate your strengths and resources, and develop a plan to work towards them. You’ll also be supported to process emotions that come up and problem-solve any obstacles on the way.

Having a counsellor on board while you’re making personal goals can be really helpful because they see potential problems that you might not have noticed or have fresh ideas you may not have considered. I also know a lot about the psychology of change, and I can apply my knowledge and experience to help you to gain successful outcomes.

You’re experiencing fears and insecurity

Self-esteem and confidence are very important to live a happy and fulfilling life. If your fears and insecurities are holding you back from doing things that really matter to you, talking to a counsellor might help. Things like social anxiety, ruminating thoughts, critical self-talk and tension in the body can leave you feeling miserable and have a huge impact on your life.

We can gently explore why you’re feeling this way and identify potential triggers that might be making the problem worse. Sometimes, just talking these feelings through can be enough, other times we’ll need to work through some strategies and skills to help you to manage them in the long-term. We can use modalities like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to challenge unhelpful thought patterns, or mindfulness-based techniques to help you to feel grounded and calm. Talking through your fears and worries with a counsellor can help you to put them aside so that you can feel more confident and settled.

You want to better understand your emotions

Emotions can be tricky little beasts, and a lot of us don’t have a good understanding of them. They have a huge impact on the way we feel and act, and it can be difficult to feel like you’re being ruled by your emotions. Sometimes, certain emotions pop up and we aren’t sure why, and this can be confronting. A lot of us fear or dread certain emotions as well, because we aren’t sure how to cope with them.

Counsellors have extensive training in emotions and can help you to understand them better. Learning more about the purpose of emotions, how they show up in our body and how they can influence us can be helpful. When you understand your emotions, you can identify them more readily and make better choices about how to respond to them. Having more insight can take away a lot of the dread you might feel around certain emotions. If certain emotions such as anger or jealousy are having a negative impact on your relationships, learning more about them can help you to manage them more effectively.

You want to change your behaviour

Psychology is literally the science of behaviour. It is the study of what we do and why we do it. Someone with a good understanding of those concepts can give you a huge head start when it comes to altering your behaviour. I really enjoy working with clients who have identified a desire to change some aspect of their behaviour. We’ll spend some time discussing your usual routine, the behaviour in question, the purpose it serves in your life and what you would like to do differently. Then we’ll systematically work through a plan for change, adjusting as needed along the way. We’ll also explore the reasons why you want to change your behaviour and support you if you’re struggling to change.

You don’t have to be in the middle of a personal crisis to benefit from speaking to a counsellor. Counsellors are valuable sources of support, insight, knowledge and assistance and regularly attending therapy can be an act of self-care.

If any of these reasons resonated with you, and you’d like my help please don’t hesitate to contact me or book an appointment.