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Receiving 1-1 counselling

Posted By Starfish Lady

"Receiving 1-1 counselling"

About: Inclusion Thurrock (Talking Therapies)

(as a service user),

I started individual counselling at the beginning of the year with inclusion thurrock due to family circumstances which occured 5 months earlier. It was a long wait and I was contacted about every 6 weeks to recheck wether this was the right service for me. This was helpful as it was a long wait and it reassured me that I hadn't been forgotten.

Initially got a phonecall from the counsellor to set up first appointment.

I was suprised that my counsellor was a good match and I felt comfortable dealing with my issues.

Complication of Covid-19 lockdown was that counselling then moved to phone contact only. I thought that I would have difficulty with this initially but because I had seen my counsellor face to face for a few weeks it weas not as difficult as I thought.

I believe that if you get a good counsellor it makes a huge diffence and sometimes the most unlikely person can be that person, having had counselling on 2 occasions over the years with other people who I thought would be suitable.

I would say give it a few sessions before you dedcide whether its working for you.

My perspective on life has changed dramatically and I can now clearly recognise and deal with circustances and people that bring and cause chaos in my life.

Sometimes its the most scary thing being open and vulnerable to change but it may be the only way of seeing the real treasure that is often hidden deep inside the pain we carry.

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Responses

Response from Chloe Anderson, Senior Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner, Inclusion Thurrock NHS Talking Therapies, Inclusion 3 years ago
Chloe Anderson
Senior Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner, Inclusion Thurrock NHS Talking Therapies,
Inclusion

Submitted on 08/07/2020 at 14:27
Published on Care Opinion at 14:29

Dear Starfish Lady,

Thank you for sharing your experience.

I’m sorry to hear you had a long wait to start your sessions; sometimes there are many factors that can impact how long people wait but I’m glad to hear that you didn’t feel forgotten

You’re right about the relationship with your therapist being very important. We do hope that we are able to build this with each client as it makes a difference in you feeling comfortable and supported. I would agree that having a few sessions can mean moving past any initial anxiety or awkwardness and develop that relationship, but we’d always encourage clients to let us know if there are any issues.

The introduction of lockdown and social distancing measures has meant that we have had to alter the way we provide therapy but I’m glad to hear that you were able to adapt to this. We understand that telephone sessions aren’t always what people expect from therapy but the majority of people have found that it works well for them and we’re keen to be able to continue providing support in any way we can.

It sounds like you have done some really good work and made brilliant progress. Well done for having changed your outlook on life and developing coping strategies that support your mental health and wellbeing.

Being open and vulnerable can definitely be scary but like you say, it is worth it.

All the best for the future,

Chloe Anderson.

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