Angela Ryan MBACP Counselling

Counselling can be a way of dealing with problems and reducing stress - at work, in relationships, and in life generally. Stress can be caused by many factors and/or events, for instance, bereavement, family or relationship problems or breakdown, trauma, problems at work or any major change in life circumstances like moving house, illness, changing job, retirement, divorce. Often, at times of significant change, feelings become strained or unmanageable and we can start to suffer stress symptoms such as anxiety, depression, panic attacks, lethargy or a general feeling of not coping. Other problems which can be helped by counselling are loneliness, shyness, sexual difficulties, fears and phobias, addictions, anger management, eating disorders, feelings or thoughts of self-harm or suicide. Counselling can help by providing you with an opportunity to talk about your thoughts and feelings, in a confidential setting, with another person who is not directly involved in your life. Counselling cannot change your circumstances and, as a counsellor, I will not give advice or tell you what to do, but will try to help you to make your own choices. In this way, counselling can help you to gain a clearer understanding of yourself and your situation, problems or feelings and to discover different and more positive ways of thinking, feeling and behaving. I would add here that counselling can be hard work - you will meet and engage with some painful feelings and you may sometimes feel worse before you feel better!

Personally, I believe that counselling is, or can be, much more than crisis management or a problem solving exercise.My experience is that we are all working our way through life and all that we meet on the way – from our earliest moments to the present day. We are all unique and valuable individuals with our own stories and journeys and counselling can be a way of meeting and moving forward with a new travelling companion for part of that journey – not necessarily someone who knows the way or has a map but who is prepared to walk alongside you on your journey while you work out and choose your own way, make your own changes. I also believe that each of us is, in some way and at some level, searching for a kind of inner peace – peace within ourselves, in our relationships and with something outside ourselves, greater than we are – God, the universe, a greater power or however you choose to describe it.

So you don’t need to have an immediate or pressing problem to start counselling. It can be quite simply an opportunity for personal growth.

First, when you have decided that you would like to try counselling, you need to contact me by phone or by clicking on the word contact here. We can then arrange a time to meet and have an assessment session in which you can begin to tell me why you have come for counselling and what you hope to gain from it. We can both have a chance to see if we think we would be able to work together to help you and we can discuss how many sessions you might need. Then, if we both feel comfortable, we would book your next few sessions and hopefully move forward from there. It is usually possible to arrange a first appointment within a week of your first contact.
FEES: are payable at the end of each booked session and are negotiable according to circumstances.

Although many people find counselling helpful, it is not appropriate for everyone nor for all problems. If this is the case for you, there may be other forms of help available and I would be happy to discuss those options with you and give you more information about them when we meet or talk. If you have any further questions or concerns at this stage, please feel free to get in touch and I will do my best to resolve them.