Frequently Asked Questions

Counselling is the process of exploring and thinking about your difficulties together with a neutral and objective professional. People often seek assistance from a counsellor when they want to change or understand something about their life. Counselling offers a safe and confidential place where the client will be heard and respected. The aim of counselling is to provide an opportunity for the client to work towards living in a way he or she experiences as more fulfilling, satisfying and resourceful.

Counselling may involve work with individuals, couples or groups of people. The objectives of the counselling relationship vary according to each individual’s needs. Counselling can help people with developmental issues, life changes, resolving specific problems, making decisions, coping with crisis, developing personal insight and knowledge, working through feelings of inner conflict or improving relationships with others.

Short term counselling is a way of identifying specific problems and working out what action you want to take to resolve them. It is also helpful for decision making and coping with crises. Long term counselling involves the resolution of inner conflicts, insights into your personal world and an enhancement of your relationship with yourself and others.

At Psycare, our counsellors & psychotherapists facilitate the client’s work in ways that respect the client’s values, personal resources and capacity for choice within their cultural context.

Counselling provides you with the opportunity to work through a particular problem, without anyone judging you. Its offers a safe and confidential environment where you can explore freely issues that may be concerning you. Along the counselling path you will learn not only new ways to help you deal with the problems you are facing now, but also skills to assist you in the future. Decision-making can be a daunting prospect sometimes, talking about this can often help you focus and clear your mind thus enabling you to move forward in peace or to make the right choice. Counselling also offers a chance to talk about or express anger and frustrations without the risk of hurting others.  It gives you the opportunity to express your grief over losing a loved one, or losing something you feel is precious to you, maybe your home or job.

Psychotherapy aims to help you raise awareness and gain insight into your difficulties or distress, establishes a deeper understanding of your motivations, and enables you to find more appropriate ways of coping or bringing about changes in thinking and behaviour. Psychotherapy has the potential for transformative growth at a deep level. Psychotherapy involves exploring feelings, beliefs, thoughts and relevant events, often from childhood and personal history, in a structured way with someone trained to help you do it safely. Depending on the nature of your problem, therapy can be short or long term. Sessions can be provided for adults, adolescents and children on a one-to-one basis, or for couples, families and within groups whose members share similar problems.

Every session is different because everyone is different, as are their problems. Your psychotherapist will encourage you to express and explore, in a structured way, your feelings and experiences. Depending on their training and modality, your therapist may also suggest particular techniques as part of that exploration – for example, using art, imaging, dream or movement work. With children, play therapy is often utilised.  Whatever the technique or clinical approach, psychotherapy is not a magical cure, it is a process to help you find the capacity for improvement and personal growth within yourself.

The content of your therapy sessions is absolutely confidential. Our counsellors would only breach that confidentiality if it was believed that you were at risk of harming yourself or someone else. In that case, your counsellor would advise you of their obligation to breach confidentiality.