Counselling in Sheffield

There are many many different styles and approaches when it comes to counselling but there have been studies that have shown that the rapport between you and your counsellor is more important that they type of therapy they practise.

A good therapist knows that it can be a big step to see counsellor. It is for this reason that a good counsellor will not push you into working with them. They will however provide you with information about who they are and how they work so that you can make an informed decision about whether you work with them or not.

Of the types of counselling available there are five main groups of psychological therapies.

• Behavioural therapies. These focus on behaviours and include approaches like CBT.
• Psychodynamic and psychoanalytical therapies. These approaches focus on relationship patterns that are believed to be based in childhood experiences and are expressed unconsciously.
• Humanistic therapies focus on the ‘here and now’ and aim to facilitate self-development.
• Arts therapies, use creative arts inside the process of therapy.
  Couples counselling, as the name suggests, is focused on helping couples to change and improve their relationship.

Some counsellors stick rigidly to one particular style of therapy while some have an eclectic approach where they use different elements from different approaches in a more integrative form of counselling.

No is the short and honest answer. Talking about problems can be tough. That means that finding the motivation to continue to talk about things that are difficult means that sometimes people drop out of the process.
Also, therapy is not a cure-all so even if you do complete the process you may still not feel any better. Any therapist who guarantees change is acting in an unethical way and is likely not being honest with you.

It is hard to be definite about how different people will feel as a result of therapy as different people are different. For some people things can seem to get worse as a result of therapy. Talking openly and honestly with a therapist can bring up all sorts of thoughts and feelings that you may have been ignoring or running away from for some time. The plan is that in the long run that you feel more able to manage your life and your thoughts.

This will vary from person to person. Some people find that they feel better after just a few sessions, while others may take up to a year or more. However, the duration depends on the severity of your symptoms, how long you've been struggling with the problem, how much you can commit yourself to the therapy, and whether you want to future-proof the changes you make.

Still have questions? Read our free post “How Many Counselling Sessions Will I Need?”

The terms ‘therapist’ and ‘psychotherapist’ are sometimes used interchangeably as the two terms do overlap in many ways. One of our counsellors, Mat Pronger, has written a great blog post on why counsellor and psychotherapist are now interchangeable terms. You might find his information helpful.

One of the biggest differences between a counsellor and a psychotherapist is in the amount of time therapy lasts for. Counselling with a therapist is usually a brief treatment that focuses on behaviour patterns. Psychotherapy usually involves a more long term approach and aims to help clients develop deeper understanding of their difficulties through examination of their emotions and history.

A psychotherapist does offer a style of counselling to their clients but someone equally qualified might choose to call themselves a counsellor rather than psychotherapist.

Counselling:

Rapport is the sense of connection combined with a sense of trust and mutual understanding. If this is missing when you meet your counsellor you should choose to work with someone else. Addressing this can dramatically increase your chances of a positive outcome from therapy as rapport is very important.

Different counsellors charge different amounts. It could cost anywhere from £10 to £70 per session. This can depend on where abouts in the country you live, your employment status and the experience of the counsellor. Visit the Counsellors profile to find out their session prices.

Counselling is not the perfect solution for everyone. Some people don’t have the time or money for counselling and want an approach that is different. If this is you then maybe you might want to consider Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

A second alternative to counselling/psychotherapy is Hypnotherapy. This approach is often even quicker than CBT. A professional and experienced hypnotherapist might see a client for only three or four treatment sessions. The process often focuses on the future and about getting positive and appealing behaviours familiar and expected before the time for them to be needed arrives. In this way, when that situation develops the desirable behaviour is more likely to happen.