Steve | Counsellor

Counselling Leeds

Hi, I'm Steve. I’m a person-centred counsellor registered with the British Association for Counselling and psychotherapy (BACP) with enhanced DBS and insurance, offering 50 minute weekly sessions.

I work in Leeds City Centre, face to face, and I can work online with clients across the UK over Zoom video/ phone sessions.

Perhaps you’re struggling with a diagnosis or symptoms of depression. Has your anxiety been through the roof since COVID? Or you may have some other issue with your mental health. 

You may feel out of sorts or that you can’t be yourself. You may feel numb or are experiencing very intense feelings such as guilt, grief from a loss, or shame. You may feel alone, overwhelmed or unheard.

There may be many other reasons why you might be contemplating counselling. 

You may feel that you need some help, and don't know where to turn?

Whatever brings you here, this is a step on your personal journey, and I hope it’s a positive step towards being heard and understood, and feeling some improvement in your life.

How can counselling help?

Allow me to give you a handful of ways counselling can help:

1. You can open up.

Often we find when we speak to friends or family about our problems - they have their own set ideas and agendas. That might be offering advice so telling us what to do, or we might also feel judgement from them. So what we might do is bottle up those feelings, and not tell anybody which can devastatingly impact our mental health, and can even harm our physical health as well. 

However, if you see a qualified counsellor, you should feel that you’re not being judged, and are able to talk about whatever you feel you need to, in a safe and supportive space. Finally, you can open up. That un-burdening can be both cathartic and useful. 

2. You’re putting yourself first.

We can find in our busy lives that we don’t have time for ourselves. Counselling offers a space just for you. When you’re in the room with the counsellor, or working online- both of you are setting aside other distractions, that 50 minutes is your time to use as you find useful. Many clients appreciate just having that time to come and ‘reset’. Counselling can be a step in putting yourself first, which is really important to our emotional well-being.

3. You can be truly heard and understood.

When we speak with a counsellor we are speaking with a professional. That professional should have undergone years of training. That professional should also be committed and determined to understand exactly where you’re coming from and to help you process your thoughts and feelings…

A good counsellor won’t always get everything right, but should always seek your help as the client in understanding what events mean to you. When we are truly heard and understood, that can impact how we see other people, ourselves and our experiences in a positive way.

Counselling offers an opportunity for us to feel that somebody else can deeply perceive the feelings that we are going through, which can act as a mirror to show us more clearly those thoughts and emotions. It can also be deeply moving to feel we have finally been truly heard and understood, in some cases for what feels like the first time in our lives.

Counselling is an opportunity to be truly heard, respected and understood.

4. You are welcome to bring your complete selves to counselling.

When we see a counsellor we might apologise for not having anything to say or feel embarrassed that we’re talking about the same topic. Perhaps we would love a good cry but we don’t want to burden our loved ones.

A good counsellor will be able to hold that safe space in a supportive and encouraging way and make you feel this is your time. So whatever you choose to bring, in whatever way, no apology is necessary, and that might not be the case with our friends or family unfortunately. As maybe we feel we are burdening these people, or that they are losing patience with us.

Counselling should invite you to be yourself and bring all of yourself, if you want to, and should allow you to work at your own pace.

5. A safe space

You are not going to be gossiped about behind your back- you’re protected by confidentiality! This is a major one for me, except under very specific circumstances what you say to a counsellor remains confidential.

Yes, you might speak with your friends or family- but do you really know that they won’t talk to other friends or family members about intimate and deeply personal areas of your life? It’s very hurtful and damaging when a friend or family member says they won’t tell anybody anything but then does,  especially when you may already be feeling vulnerable. Imagine how mortifying that could be!

When you speak with a counsellor you should understand very clearly when confidentiality may be broken- and be assured that your privacy and anonymity is paramount where possible. This can open up what you want to talk about and help you to know that you are safe with that counsellor. In counselling you should be protected by confidentiality which means you can really talk about what you feel is important, and do that in a safe, and not in a damaging way. 

Next step

Is it your time to be heard today?

Why not get in touch for a free 15-minute phone call to see if we would be a good fit and if you would like to work together?

 

Thanks for taking the time to view my profile, and all the best on your journey,

Steve