One of the key values of Fairy Wren Counselling is maintaining client autonomy. You have the right to make your own choices, without feeling like you’re being pressured or judged to do things in a way that doesn’t work for you. I aim to do my work as a counsellor in a way that respects your values, and preserves your ability to take ownership over your own life.

I wanted to shine a light on some of the ways that I make sure that you have control and autonomy over your choices and the counselling progress

Client-centered approach

I work from a client-centered approach, which means that I believe that you are the expert of your own life. I work from the assumption that you have the ability to make changes that will positively impact your life and move you closer to your goals, but you might need a little bit of help and support to get there.

My goal is to get a really clear understanding of you as a person and how you see the world. I want to know what your values and beliefs are so that our work together aligns with the things that are most important to you.

Counselling combines your self-knowledge and my skills of problem-solving, exploration, creativity and psychology. We will work collaboratively to explore the issue at hand and come up with creative ways to address it. Our work will always be informed by your own values and priorities, and you won’t be judged or pressured into doing something you don’t want to do.

Exploration and support, not advice

A lot of people feel confused when I tell them that I don’t give advice to my counselling clients. “If you don’t tell me what to do, how will my problem get solved?”, you might be wondering.

Here’s the thing, by giving advice all I’m doing is telling you what I would do in the same situation. And that’s probably not going to be helpful to you. Now only are our lives and values likely to be different, but I’m a flawed person and I make mistakes too. My advice might be leading you in entirely the wrong direction for you. Rather than telling you an answer, I’d rather empower you to make choices for yourself, and to feel confident and supported in doing so.

What I can do is make suggestions, offer tools and give you an opportunity to explore the issue from different angles. I can point out patterns of behaviour or ways of thinking that might be contributing to the problem. I can help you to design a way forward that makes sense to you and support you while you put the plan into motion. I can share my knowledge with you to help you to understand yourself better. The choice about what to do next and how to apply this knowledge is up to you.

Flexibility with sessions

I do my best to make the counselling process as flexible as possible. I don’t contract for a set number of sessions, because it’s important that you have the option to end counselling at any time if it isn’t working for you. I will work with you to create a schedule that suits your needs, allowing for weekly, fortnightly or monthly sessions as needed. You’re welcome to have sessions as frequently as you like, and there’s no limit to the number of sessions that you can have.

Feedback is welcome

I love it when clients offer feedback about their sessions, because it gives me the opportunity to meet their needs and provide a better service. I encourage you to let me know if something isn’t working for you, if you need more or less structure, if we’re not focusing on the things that are important to you, or if you need some kind of change or accommodation to make sessions feel more comfortable or effective for you.

Your counselling sessions are your time, and it’s important that we’re using them in a way that is effective and efficient. If you’d like to try something new, or if something isn’t working for you I want to know about it. I encourage clients to let me know if they have feedback, and I’m always willing to make changes and adjustments to ensure that you’re getting the most out of counselling.

I know that my clients see the best results when they feel supported to make their own choices and advocate for their needs. You can rest assured that you’ll be heard and taken seriously, and that our work together will be focused on serving your needs and goals.