What to Expect from Private Counselling
Considering counselling can be a daunting prospect if you’ve never accessed it before. If you’re uncertain of what to expect and this is preventing you from taking the first step, please read on for some useful information to consider.
Firstly, you will need to find a therapist (and therapy) that is right for you. Ask yourself these questions:
Are they local to me? (consider how far you’re prepared to travel and whether you’d prefer someone outside of your area.)
What type of therapies do they offer? (Research different types of therapy to ensure it fits for the issue you’d like to work on and suits your needs.)
Do they specialise in the difficulties you’re having? (Some issues can be better treated by therapists with training specific to the issue e.g. substance misuse, adoption, psychosis.)
How much do they charge? (Is it affordable and reasonable. Prices vary significantly.)
What are their availabilities? (Some counsellors offer evening and weekend slots.)
Where do they work from? (A therapy centre, a clinic, their own home etc and what would you be most comfortable with. If none of these fit for you and you’d prefer a café or a walk and talk therapy, you will need to check the therapist’s flexibility.)
As standard, counsellors should offer you an initial consultation session to discuss your needs and how you might work together to reach your desired outcome. This session should include the completion of a ‘contract’ or an agreement that takes some of your details, outlines confidentiality, data protection, boundaries, fees, cancellation policies, and any other relevant formal information you will need to be aware of particular to the place of therapy. You can use this session to ‘get a feel’ for the therapist to make sure you click and ask any questions.
Confidentiality will be paramount within the sessions and will only be broken if the counsellor is genuinely concerned for your safety or the safety of someone else that you talk about within your sessions. The counsellor has a duty of care, not only to you but to other members of the public and must act if they feel anyone is at risk. There are exceptions to this where breaking confidentiality will put you or someone else at more risk and the counsellor should work with you to put support measures in place to minimise these risks. There are also particular conditions around criminal activity that may need to reported, and if you are worried about discussing these, you should check this out with your therapist.
Your therapist will likely make notes at the end of each session which will be factual and concise and simply offer them a brief overview of the session as a reminder to themselves for the next session to ensure continuity. It may feel like they have a really good memory when you yourself forget what you talked about in the last session!
The counsellor will have regular supervision of at least 1.5hrs per month with a qualified supervisor who is in counselling practice themselves. This offers them the opportunity to discuss the work they are doing with you to ensure they aren’t missing something relevant that may help you along in your journey towards your goals. This is therefore beneficial to both you and your therapist. The work between them will again be confidential.
Your counsellor should offer you regular sessions, weekly is normal and ensures consistency across the sessions. Each one usually last 50 minutes. You should ideally commit to a minimum of fortnightly sessions in order to benefit fully from the work you will be doing. It is worth considering here that the counsellor will only have a set amount of places for clients and this is their income, a commitment to the sessions therefore also demonstrates an appreciation of the place they are allocating to you to offer you the support you need.
That said, when you are nearing the end of your therapy, you may feel that you’d benefit from less regular ‘check in’ sessions whilst you build your confidence that your new perspective/way of being will last and this should also be accommodated.
Therapy can be short-term or long-term depending on the complexity of the issue(s) you bring. It’s important to give yourself the time to work through your difficulties, your mental health deserves attention and when looked after can have a significant impact on your overall wellbeing.
The type of therapy you enter into will dictate how the sessions will be structured, so, for instance, if you decide upon CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy), you will find the sessions quite directive and focused on one particular issue. You will be given homework to complete between sessions that will inform the work you do face to face in your sessions. If you choose a Talking Therapy however, you will be able to take more control of the sessions and explore whatever feels the most relevant to you at each session. Therapists often integrate talking therapies with other, more structured therapies in order to offer practical strategies you can use immediately whilst you explore the more deeply rooted difficulties you might be facing.
You can find more information on counselling and CBT here.
As a baseline, counsellors should offer you a non-judgemental environment that includes respect, openness, honesty, challenge, reflection, empathy, and unconditional positive regard. You can find more information on the expectations of a counsellor outlined by the BACP (British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy) in their ethical framework here.
The counselling should be provided at a pace that is right for you. You may not be ready to bare your soul to a stranger but, as your relationship with your therapist develops and you feel more at ease, you should find that this becomes easier to manage. Your therapist will not push you to discuss anything you don’t feel ready for.
Once you find your flow, you might be surprised to find that you look forward to the sessions. They are a chance to offload and explore your innermost insecurities, challenges, experiences and more, in a safe and secure space. Simply having this regular opportunity to focus on yourself and talk things through with someone uninvolved in your life outside of the counselling room will feel hugely beneficial.
If you feel you’re ready to take the first steps into a therapeutic relationship with a qualified, experienced therapist, and you’d like to book in for an initial consultation to discuss your needs, you can make contact here or ring Tracy on 07831202104 to book in at a convenient time for you.
