Welcome to our short guide to counselling preferences. It is important to consider our counselling preferences when accessing therapy, so here are a few things to consider.
Reflections can sometimes be triggering for clients who have previously accessed therapy and did not particularly enjoy it.
If the relationship between the client and the counsellor feels incongruent (counselling word for a bad match), we can later have negative experiences around basic counselling techniques.
The typical way of signalling to the client that we hear them and validate their feelings is to repeat or summarise what they said and then explore it further.
Sometimes, a counsellor may just repeat one word to signal, asking us to say more. This way of conversing works well if we are attuned and feel safe in the conversation, but if we don’t like it, it can really get in the way of our healing.
A good counsellor will pick up how we feel in the room anyway. However, it may be helpful to warn them about your possible triggers and dislikes around this.
If you found this helpful and consider counselling, you can book a free initial consultation on our homepage.
