If you're new to counselling...

Let's face it, therapy can be incredibly intimidating, I totally get it. You're essentially asking a complete stranger for support, as well as sharing to them some rather intricate details about your life. So I thought for this blog post I'd shed some light on therapy and the different types of therapy you can receive to hopefully give you a bit of a better insight into the industry.

Psychotherapy can take on a variety of different forms, which all derive from different psychological or philosophical historical perspectives and theories.

Here are just a few examples of some approaches.

Person-Centred Therapy is a gentle approach based on empathy, kindness, and genuineness between you and the counsellor. It’s not about pushing or challenging but rather, it’s about creating space for you to go at your own pace, in a way that feels right for you.

Gestalt Therapy tends to be a bit more direct. It focuses what you’re feeling in the present moment during the actual session . It can be more emotionally active, but for many, it’s incredibly grounding and thought provoking as well.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a structured, goal-oriented approach. It focuses on understanding how your thoughts influence your emotions and behaviour and how, with the right tools, you can change unhelpful thought patterns to achieve personal goals in life.

Narrative Therapy allows you to explore your experiences through storytelling. It creates distance between you and your problems by externalising them, making it easier to understand and reshape the way you see your past and present challenges.

Now, before you fire up Chat GPT and search 'which type of therapy is right for you?'. It’s important to remember that it’s okay not to know. In fact, sometimes not knowing can actually be more beneficial, as it means you'll have less preconceived biases or assumption getting in the way of your openness to explore.

Moreover, a good counsellor will be trained in multiple therapeutic styles and will (hopefully) adapt their approach based on what works best for you. Your needs, your personality, and your unique lifestyle. Thus, if you're facing a problem, maybe try and feel comfortable not knowing yourself, but knowing the counsellor will, or for the very least, will know someone in the industry that can.