Counselling/Psychotherapy and Supervision in Leeds, West Yorkshire
Tel: Leeds (0113) 262 5783 email: kristal@kristalclark.com web: www.kristalclark.com

>>A personal introduction
>>My training and experiences
>>What I can offer you - psychotherapy, counselling.
>>Photos: where I practice
>>Who do I see?
>>Fees and times
>>What is counselling/psychotherapy?
>>What to do next?
>>The initial appointment
>>Contact

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What is counselling therapy or psychotherapy?

You may have a specific crisis to talk through or you may be having some of these thoughts:

'I don't really have a problem, (but I know I do really)'
'I don't have anyone to talk to'
'This has been going on for so many years, I need to do something now.'
'I just don't know what to do, I feel so awful all the time' 'I'm fed up feeling bad about myself and I want more confidence'
'My boss wants me to see someone'.

My experience of speaking generally to people about therapy or counselling often reveals that there is a sense of embarrassment about booking an appointment with a therapist and it is the feeling of bruised pride that stops us from booking to see someone. I swear by the usefulness of talking through problems with a trained person who can offer different perspectives from a neutral stance.

Psychotherapy or certain forms of counselling offer anyone the opportunity to talk through a personal, work, family problem or a conflict. The problem may be a short-term conflict that can be resolved within a time-limit, or a long-standing personal or family problem that affects how you function in your life. A psychotherapy approach gives you a place to talk, to express yourself more freely than you are used to about yourself and your life events.

A misconception about seeing a therapist is that you do so only when you are in crisis. Talking to a therapist can be a forum for bouncing ideas around about the sort of person that you are and trying to sort out your deeper-seated mental, emotional or, at times, physical problems whether these are work-related, relationship-based or social. The central focus is 'you' and how you are as a person. So, you do not have to be in crisis in order to talk to a therapist. The process of therapy can become a path of self-discovery that can lead to a fulfilling life in which you are more in charge of yourself.

Whilst psychotherapy or counselling involves talking a lot, it is an emotional experience. It will be an emotional experience from the moment that you phone to make your first appointment. You will discover how you usually handle your feelings and part of the talking process is to become aware of your feelings or to become more aware of how you express yourself to others. The process of this happening can be liberating and may also be difficult at times.

The work is bound by the therapist's code of ethics and a specific structure of weekly or twice-weekly appointments.

For how long do I have to come?

There are several possibilities. You may choose a short, fixed amount of time in order to work on something specific - this can be from 12 to 20 sessions.
You may want a one-off appointment to talk through a particular issue.
You can choose an open-ended agreement where you take as long as you need.

Some people attend for months, some for years - it depends what you need help with and how far you are prepared to go for yourself. The decision will be made with me so that we are both clear.

How will I know when to end?

How long is a piece of string? Ending is different for different people and there is no fixed way of ending other than talking about it. The most effective way of ending is to talk about your decision so that you can decide whether it really is the best thing to do at that given time.

Endings are a part of life and all relationships e.g. the changing seasons, parents who separate, the death of someone, moving schools, moving house, redundancy, retirement, car accidents, births, loss of good health, loss of youth. Endings are with us all the time and therefore are part of your therapy/counselling and talking about the ending will be useful to bring to the sessions. It is not until you bring this to a session that its relevance comes to the surface and so ending is as important as the start of your therapy/counselling. The way you end with your therapist will reflect something about how you relae to people and it can be helpful to be aware of this so that you can decide whether to continue to repeat an unhealthy pattern of behaviour or whether you need to change anything.

Concerns about therapy or counselling

There are many therapists and counsellors to choose from. Ultimately it is your choice who you decide to work with and it is important to ask yourself why you want to stay with one person and not the other. Whatever your thoughts, it will be helpful to discuss them at the time.

Counselling or therapy will bring thoughts or feelings to the surface that you may not want to know about and it might be your pattern of behaviour to run away as soon as the going gets tough. Seeing a therapist can therefore be supportive at these times. Ultimately, the therapist is there to help and be on your side.

Peer co-counselling - a system of peer support and personal growth among peers.

see www.co-counselling.co.uk

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