What is counselling?
- It’s the chance to chat to someone who doesn’t judge you
- A way to explore different ways of dealing with the world
- A place you can go and vent about your problems if you want to
- The opportunity to help you manage new situations or consider old ones
- A private space where you can talk about thoughts and feelings you have about something or about things that are worrying or annoying you
- Somewhere you might learn new ways to cope with different situations
- A place you can share things when you’re ready
Counselling isn’t:
- Someone telling or advising you what you need to do to change your life
- Someone diagnosing your problems like a doctor would
- Somewhere you only go when you’re having a crisis
- A scary person in a room with a long sofa that you have to lie down on and tell your deepest secrets to
- Something that will go down on a permanent record somewhere
- A place you can only talk about meningitis
How do I know if I need counselling?
Do any of these sound like things you’re going through?
- Long periods of sadness
- The feeling you might be living in the past
- Self-harm
- Feeling like you can’t cope
- Problems saying goodbye to people on a daily basis
- Feelings of guilt or anger
- Feeling anxious and worried
- Not having anyone to share your problems with
Even if you’ve not experienced any of these things, counselling may still be the right thing for you now, or in the future.
This part of Believe & Achieve is only available for 14-25 year-olds and we will pay for 12 sessions with a professional counsellor local to you. There are other creative therapies we can offer to those under the age of 14, however we encourage you to speak directly to our Helpline team, as these are offered through our Rebuilding Futures Fund.