Time and again, research has shown that the therapeutic relationship is where much of the healing happens.

People often arrive seeking coping strategies, and strategies can be helpful. But a quick internet search will find you all the strategies you need. What’s harder to find is an emotional experience that changes you from the inside.

It’s a time to focus on you, unapologetically, with no need for reciprocation. It’s a time to bring along whatever it is that you want to talk about. We rarely get that time in day-to-day life.

A counsellor is a trained professional who can tell the difference between your problems and their own.

A counsellor does not tell you what to do with your life. Instead, they help you to figure out how to live more in line with your own values.

Counsellors are people like you. They don’t have a magical solution to life’s problems.

You can find yourself talking about some really tough stuff, and you might leave sessions feeling exhausted or confused. That’s part of the process.

There’s no set number of sessions that will get you where you want to go. Patience, faith and persistence are required.

Your counsellor can’t do your work for you, but they can encourage, support and guide you while you do it.