Simply stated, counselling is any relationship in which one person is helping another person to better understand and solve some problem. Friends and relatives provide a type of counselling, as do clergy, academic advisors, teachers, and many others. Counsellors have a broad range of experience in developing "helping relationships" and working with many different situations.

In counselling we look for what we find good in ourselves. The good can be used as a model for the things we would like to change.

Counselling is a change (growth: healing) process in which people (individuals, groups, couples, and families) are helped to:

> express themselves (catharsis) in a safe, supportive, collaborative, non-judgmental climate;

> identify, sort-out, clarify their problem laden "stories" (deepened awareness of past & present story and alternative future stories) identify non-helpful patterns (e.g. "crisis" pattern);

>learn, where appropriate, more helpful coping skills (e.g. "assertive skills") identify and achieve goals that are important to them.

What you can expect from your counsellor

You can expect someone who is interested in listening to your concerns and in helping you develop a better understanding of them so that you may deal with them more easily and effectively. Your counsellor will take you seriously and be willing to openly discuss anything you wish to discuss. Expect your counsellor to focus the session on you, and not on others. If you have any questions about what is going on, by all means ask. Counsellors have no "magical" skills or knowledge, and will be unable to solve your problems directly for you.

Your counsellor will want to work with you, but won't do for you what you are capable of doing for yourself. Except under unusual circumstances, your counsellor will maintain strict confidentiality about you, and will openly discuss this with you.

See practitioner(s): Geoff