We all know this: we say something, and the other person responds with “umm” or “aha!” Those responses can be helpful or irritating, especially when we feel that there is no genuine interest in the listener.
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 pacing of counselling conversations is important for your wellbeing and needs to factor in your preferences.
This is an important preference, and a good counsellor should ask you if you like to be challenged. It’s essential to agree on how you will work with your counsellor around emotions, behaviours, and experiences.
Some counselling approaches (like CBT) come with pre-defined forms of homework, for example, tracking your mood between the sessions. Other approaches, like person-centred talking therapies, prioritise active listening in the room. Integrated approaches allow more freedom around this.
What if I do not like structured sessions? Or what if I really need a structure to my therapy sessions to feel safe and well? Does it matter?
How are you doing? Last month I wrote about getting things done and organising ourselves. Someone asked me later: how do you manage to find all the energy to get it all done? Well, I pause and restore. Only that my approach to pauses is minimal – that means I build in rest and pause into every single task ahead of me. So here are a few small tips on effective pauses.
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. Goals or no goals?
Stamping fabrics can be not only a very relaxing activity but also extremely rewarding since you can admire your creation for years to come. Previously I have stamped our sofa covers using rubber stamps and a couple of tote bags and kitchen towels using potato stamps. This time I decided to stamp a t-shirt using everyday objects.
Good morning. I hope your weekend is soft. The last two weeks were busy with work and allotment, so this space was quiet. I return home each day with crops from the allotment in two minds about the amount of sun we are getting at the moment. On the one hand, vegetables and berries, not to mention roses, adore this amount of sunshine. On the other hand, the weather feels steadily hot and dry. Evening allotment watering is a healthy workout, of course, but also a sign of how our climate is shifting.