After my school recognised my anxiety, I was put on a waiting list for counselling. I had to wait months for counselling in which my anxiety worsened which caused me to be very low. I was struggling to stay in lessons at school or even go to them so it really was a problem and I was left with absolutely no help.
When I finally had my first session, I was basically stuck in a tiny room with a stranger which instantly set my anxiety off. I am very claustrophobic so being in such a tiny room was a huge challenge which I thought was a good thing for me but I really struggled to even listen to what this woman was saying because I was so focused on the space around me.
It can provide a safe and regular space for you to talk and explore difficult feelings. The counsellor is there to support you and respect your views. They will not usually give advice, but will help you to find your own insight and understanding of your problems. It usually takes many sessions to see the effects of the counselling on your life so it needs to be a regular commitment.
Everyone has different experiences with counselling as different counsellors work differently. In my experience, she sat and asked me questions, often the same questions every week. They were aimed towards opening up my concerns and problems to gain a better understanding. They may ask you to identify certain events or issues to help you recognise what may have been a trigger for anxiety. Knowing this will make it much easier to break down the problems from the root, finding the cause, so they can be dealt with easier. I will be able to discuss and explore alternative coping strategies. It can be a great relief to share your worries and fears with someone who acknowledges your feelings and is able to help you reach a positive solution.
It isn’t something to be worried about. The counsellor isn’t going to go and tell everyone about what you’ve told them. Nothing bad is going to happen to you whatever you tell them. They are there to help you, not judge you! They have probably seen people with the exact same problems as you before and you probably aren’t the worst they have seen. I worried about all of this before I started the sessions and it really is quite relaxed.
You need to build up a level of trust between you and the counsellor for the relationship to work. If you do not have a level of trust, you will not be able to open up to them, therefore, they will not be able to help you effectively. If you do not have this trust, you need to speak to the counsellor so they know how you feel about it. From here, they can alter the way they are working to suit you and get the most out of your sessions. If things do not improve, looking for another counsellor may be in your best interest.
Personally, counselling didn’t work for me. It was a disappointment because for all the time I was waiting I had my hopes pinned on it working as I was really struggling. I stuck it out but it really just didn’t help and I’m still having it in hope it will still work. I can see why counselling would work for some people because if their anxiety is caused by keeping all of their problems bottled up, a release my help relief their stress. It can also be a useful way to pick apart problems and piece together their causes.
There are many different types of treatment you can get for anxiety. Not every one will work for you but I feel counselling is a good one to start with.
When I finally had my first session, I was basically stuck in a tiny room with a stranger which instantly set my anxiety off. I am very claustrophobic so being in such a tiny room was a huge challenge which I thought was a good thing for me but I really struggled to even listen to what this woman was saying because I was so focused on the space around me.
It can provide a safe and regular space for you to talk and explore difficult feelings. The counsellor is there to support you and respect your views. They will not usually give advice, but will help you to find your own insight and understanding of your problems. It usually takes many sessions to see the effects of the counselling on your life so it needs to be a regular commitment.
Everyone has different experiences with counselling as different counsellors work differently. In my experience, she sat and asked me questions, often the same questions every week. They were aimed towards opening up my concerns and problems to gain a better understanding. They may ask you to identify certain events or issues to help you recognise what may have been a trigger for anxiety. Knowing this will make it much easier to break down the problems from the root, finding the cause, so they can be dealt with easier. I will be able to discuss and explore alternative coping strategies. It can be a great relief to share your worries and fears with someone who acknowledges your feelings and is able to help you reach a positive solution.
It isn’t something to be worried about. The counsellor isn’t going to go and tell everyone about what you’ve told them. Nothing bad is going to happen to you whatever you tell them. They are there to help you, not judge you! They have probably seen people with the exact same problems as you before and you probably aren’t the worst they have seen. I worried about all of this before I started the sessions and it really is quite relaxed.
You need to build up a level of trust between you and the counsellor for the relationship to work. If you do not have a level of trust, you will not be able to open up to them, therefore, they will not be able to help you effectively. If you do not have this trust, you need to speak to the counsellor so they know how you feel about it. From here, they can alter the way they are working to suit you and get the most out of your sessions. If things do not improve, looking for another counsellor may be in your best interest.
Personally, counselling didn’t work for me. It was a disappointment because for all the time I was waiting I had my hopes pinned on it working as I was really struggling. I stuck it out but it really just didn’t help and I’m still having it in hope it will still work. I can see why counselling would work for some people because if their anxiety is caused by keeping all of their problems bottled up, a release my help relief their stress. It can also be a useful way to pick apart problems and piece together their causes.
There are many different types of treatment you can get for anxiety. Not every one will work for you but I feel counselling is a good one to start with.