What Is Counselling?

Counselling can help with bereavement, stress, bullying, exploring family dynamics, depression and low mood amongst many other issues.

The BACP defines counselling and psychotherapy as 'umbrella terms that cover a range of talking therapies. They are delivered by trained practitioners who work with people over a short- or long-term to help them bring about effective change or enhance their wellbeing. Therapy offers you a safe, confidential place to talk about your life and anything…. It allows you to talk with someone who is trained to listen attentively and to help you improve things'.

How many sessions will it take?

Simply sharing your story can offer relief, but it will usually take a number of sessions before therapy starts to make a difference. After an initial assessment session, the number of sessions available is open to negotiation between you and your therapist/counsellor, but we can offer both long- and short-term counselling depending on your needs.

Therapy can be a difficult process where you talk about painful feelings and or experiences, but your counsellor is trained to help you explore those feelings safely. Sometimes the goal is acceptance; sometimes it’s about change, either in the choices you make or simply changing how you feel about a situation. It is a very personal process.

Choosing a therapist

We come from a range of different backgrounds and training, but all believe that the key to successful counselling is the relationship that is formed between the client and the therapist.

We all work in similar ways but when talking about very personal thoughts and feelings, it's imperative that you feel comfortable and that you trust your counsellor.

If you don’t feel this is the case, you may want to consider working with another member of the Cooperative who may suit you better.

There are different methods and approaches to therapy, and your chosen therapist will be able to talk to you about their particular method or approach.