The decision to enter into counselling is a highly personal one. People seek help for a wide variety of reasons. Sometimes a crisis or trauma has provoked intense and overwhelming feelings.

Many people want to enter into counselling for relationship problems, on-the-job stress, self-doubt, and other emotional problems.

Some people feel a more general need to talk about the gulf between what they imagined their lives would be and the circumstances in which they actually find themselves.
We all want to be heard and listened to, and often just talking about your thoughts and feelings with a supportive and non-judgemental person makes you feel better.

A number of benefits are available from participating in coaching sessions. Counsellors can provide support, problem-solving skills, and enhanced coping strategies for issues such as depression, anxiety, relationship troubles, unresolved childhood issues, grief, stress management, body image issues and creative blocks. Many people also find that counselors can be a tremendous asset to managing personal growth, interpersonal relationships, family concerns, marriage issues, and the hassles of daily life. A professional coach can provide a fresh perspective on a difficult problem or point you in the direction of a solution. The benefits you obtain from coaching depend on how well you use the process and put into practice what you learn. Some of the benefits available from counselling include:

• Attaining a better understanding of yourself, your goals and values
• Developing skills for improving your relationships
• Finding resolution to the issues or concerns that led you to seek therapy
• Learning new ways to cope with stress and anxiety
• Managing anger, grief, depression, and other emotional pressures
• Improving communications and listening skills
• Changing old behavior patterns and developing new ones
• Discovering new ways to solve problems in your family or marriage
• Improving your self-esteem and boosting self-confidence

Only you can determine if it works or not. Most people who enter into counselling report feeling an overall sense of well being. It’s important to recognize that coaching is not a fast or easy fix. It’s a process that can be full of surprises and there may even be setbacks. Sometimes, even if your issue seems straightforward, it can turn into something more complicated. It’s important to be patient and trust that things are progressing as they should be. You should be able to tell within a few sessions if you and your counsellor are a good fit, and if you are benefiting from coaching. You won’t be a new person overnight, but you may find that in time your overall mood is improving, you feel more connected to family and friends, and less overwhelmed by the issues that were bothering you.

It is very important to find the right “fit” with your counsellor. Moreover, it is important to feel that your coach “gets” you; that you feel deeply understood. It may take several sessions to determine the issue of fit. While there may be moments of conflict in a session, these conflicts can be valuable opportunities to work through similar problems in other areas of your life. It is important to feel that you and your counsellor can work through these “glitches” successfully.

The length of the counselling is determined by the challenges you want to resolve, and what outcome you are seeking. Some people stay in counselling for a short time. For others, therapy and coaching becomes a vehicle for personal development and greater self awareness over a longer period. How long you stay in counselling is always your choice.

Yes, everything discussed in our sessions remains confidential, with certain exceptions where the counsellor is required by law to report if a client is a threat to be a danger to themselves or others and also where child or sexual abuse is an issue. 

As counsellors, we do not and cannot prescribe medication. We are respectful of one’s choice to use or not use medication, and we are happy to work collaboratively with your family physician or psychiatrist in this regard.