Counselling

What is it?

Counselling is a type of talking therapy. It involves talking to a trained therapist about your problems and concerns and can involve exploring ways to manage emotional issues. A counsellor won't give you advice or tell you what to do. They'll help you talk through your issues and try to help you find ways of coping or create an action plan to help you.

Counselling may also be useful to family members of the person with MS.

Counsellors work in different ways, but sessions should be tailored to you. There are various ways counselling can be delivered:

Setting

• Face-to-face – here you see the counsellor in person, usually at their practice.
• Telephone – these sessions take place over the phone, rather than in person, this can be useful if it is difficult for you to attend face-to-face sessions.
• Online – this gives you a chance to protect your anonymity and can be useful if you prefer not to speak directly to a counsellor. It can also give you more time to think about what you want to discuss.
• Virtual – video appointments.

Individual or Group Sessions

• Individual – seeing a counsellor on your own allows you to concentrate on your own feelings in private.
• Group sessions – may be helpful if you want to discuss your issues with others who are experiencing similar problems.

It is not unusual to feel anxious before your first session of counselling. It's likely that you'll be asked some questions to help your counsellor understand what's worrying you and how think about things. You'll probably be asked why you want counselling and what you're hoping to get from it. They'll also ask about your situation and any issues you are experiencing. This information will be used to help you.

As counselling can involve discussing upsetting or painful issues, it may be difficult at first and it's not unusual to feel worse to begin with.

Counselling is not a 'quick fix' and it's rare for a single session to be enough. It is important to build up a trusting relationship with your counsellor, where you feel safe and can be honest about your worries.

(Reference: MS Trust https://mstrust.org.uk/a-z/counselling)

Self-referrals

Steps2Wellbeing is available to adults over 18 registered with a GP in Dorset. They offer talking therapies including counselling, online courses, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and guided self-help to support people with common mental wellbeing issues like depression and anxiety.

Information about how to find a therapist – from the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)

Finding a therapist – from the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)

Information on how to find a registered counsellor or psychotherapist – from the Counselling Directory