Creative Counselling

Finding a counsellor

Counselling is about finding a safe place for you to explore yourself, your life and your problems together with another person who is helping you to do this.

You need to know that the counsellor you choose has had suitable training and will work in a professional way. It is also important to find a counsellor that you feel comfortable with. The following guidelines may help you in choosing a counsellor.

Urgent help

Counsellors do not usually offer an emergency service and you will need to make an appointment to see them. If you need to talk to someone urgently, the Samaritans are available 24 hours a day to offer a non-judgemental listening ear.

Their phone number is: 08457 90 90 90

Where to look for a counsellor

The British Association for Counselling (BACP) has a directory of members and accredited members, all of whom must agree to abide by the Code of Ethics and Conduct. There is a complaints procedure if clients are dissatisfied with the service they have received.

Counselling is a registered charity that has a register of members who subscribe to the Counselling Code of Conduct. Their website offers a referral service to help you find a free counsellor if you are on income support or minimum income guarantee.

If you would like to find a counsellor at reduced cost, most areas have local charities such as Bereavement Services, Victim Support, Drug and Alcohol Services and Young People's charities. Your local Citizen's Advice Bureau may be able to tell you what is available in your area.

Many GP surgeries are able to offer a counselling service or to offer advice about counselling. Counsellors can also be found in Yellow Pages or a local directory.

What qualifications should I look for?

Counselling qualifications range from a certificate in counselling skills through diploma level courses to degree and masters level degree courses. Different organisations assess their courses in different ways so it is not easy to tell from the name of a qualification what level of expertise has been achieved. You may like to ask what a counsellor's qualifications mean and what his or her expertise is. It is also important that the counsellor is a member of a professional body with a complaints procedure.

Meeting a counsellor

Most people make contact with a counsellor for the first time over the phone. This is a good point to ask about the fees for counselling. Some counsellors can offer a reduced fee to people on benefits or a low income.

Your first meeting with the counsellor is a chance to decide whether you want to work together. Most counsellors are happy to tell you about their qualifications and experience if asked. If you don't ask in the first session you may be too embarrassed to ask once you have started working together.

In deciding whether to work with a counsellor, the main question to ask yourself is 'Do I feel safe with this counsellor?' Trust takes time to grow and you may feel that there are some issues that you do not want to talk about in a first meeting. But you need some sense that the counsellor is a safe person to talk to and that you feel comfortable with him or her.

Trust your feelings. If you feel very uncomfortable then don't agree to work with this counsellor - however good they may be they are probably not right for you.

If you find that at the end of the session you have poured out many of your troubles and you are feeling generally better for being listened to, although perhaps a little challenged by a few of the counsellor's remarks, then that is probably a good sign.