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| There are many places to find a counsellor, Women's Aid, Crisis, local support groups, or just yellow pages. If you are a student or in education your college or LEA might (should) have one. There are different types of counselling, unless you have a specific behavioural problem eg ocd,it is probably best to avoid behaviourist, or cognitive therapist, or anything similar. You need to speak to the counsellor before you commit yourself. Be prepared for them to ask you a few background questions, you could, perhaps, write down a few possible answers in readiness. Questions for you to ask: What are their qualifications - Do they have a diploma or its equivalent? What experience do they have What was the focus of their training What method of approach do they use What discipline do they work within could be eclectic, which just means a mixture We recommend Person Centred Counselling - all that means is that you are in charge of the sessions, the therapist will work with what you take to him/her. It could be that someone who uses purely one 'type' of counselling may not be right for you, there is a lot to be said for the holistic approach. If you can find a counsellor who is an Associate Member of the BAC (British Assoc of Counselling), it means they have signed up to the BAC's code of ethics, conduct in sessions, confidentiality etc There are other 'governing bodies' but BAC is the main one. You don't need to understand the answers, if you don't feel able to ask for further explanation just remember them, you can always find out afterwards. Any decent counsellor will be more than happy to give you clear answers to these questions, without questioning you back in any way. If they do ask why you ask or anything, be very suspicious! Go with your gut feeling, if you don't feel at ease with someone, even if you have seen them a few times, go somewhere else. Just because you see someone once, doesn't mean you have to see them again. And don't look at that as a failure, use what you have learned from one person and apply it to the next. Costs will vary but most counsellors try to be flexible. |
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| Graphics Copyright Elizabeth Buie |
| Please be aware that what follows is advice only, for the UK, and may not be true for everyone. |