Counselling is a cooperative effort between a counsellor and client intended to assist the client in reaching emotional, mental, psychological, or spiritual goals. Counselling is judgment and value free, nothing is imposed on the client. Counsellors do not give advice, tell you what to do, or tell you what is right or wrong.
What Can I Talk About?
Anything!! Counselling is confidential. That means I do not talk to anyone about what is shared in session. The only exceptions are situations where someone is in danger of being abused or hurt, or if the court requires sharing of information. I care about you and that means I want to make sure you are safe. I will always ask you to be involved in how this sharing is done and will do whatever possible to respect your privacy.
Session length and timing
Session length varies according to need. Generally, they are as follows: Individual sessions: 1hr Couples sessions: Varies from 1-3hours (1st session is usually 1.5-2hrs). All subsidized counselling sessions are 1hr. Sessions usually occur weekly or biweekly.
What Can I Expect in a Session?
People often experience various difficult emotions, including frustration, anger, sadness, or fear while dealing with personal struggles. Often, 'things get worse before things get better'. This is normal. Sometimes you may receive homework that is meant to help you make changes in your life. You will also be asked to provide feedback so that your counsellor can adjust the approach to better match your needs.
Is it Guaranteed to Work?
It would be great to have a guarantee that counselling will help you. When clients engage in the process, put in an effort to make changes, and trust the process, there will be a change in their lives. Yet, like most things in life, there is no guarantee. If you feel that things are not working the way you wanted, or you feel your counsellor is not a good match, your counsellor will help you find someone else to work with. Remember, it is all about you! Sometimes your counsellor is not a good match and it is okay to request someone else.
