Counselling and psychotherapy encourages people rediscover themselves and their talents, identify what is most important to them in life and create and implement concrete plans to live the kind of life they want to live.
Whatever the situation, clients generally experience improvements in quality of life, including:
– Increased ability to express themselves
– Improved relationships with other people, socially and at work
– Increased self-esteem
– Increased control of life and health.
Counselling and therapy play a beneficial role in coping with chronic pain and illness, even terminal illness. Indeed 70% reductions in visits to the doctor have been reported following counselling and stress management intervention for chronically ill patients. After counselling, stress reduction and self-help advice, it is shown that patients report fewer cardiovascular symptoms, better lifestyle, greater recovery and generally improved function
Chronic pain and illness can alter many aspects of a person’s life and that of their family and friends. Its demands can easily dominate a person’s life and individual or family needs may be neglected. This response is normal as people begin to cope with the crisis, but can lead to disruption over the long term.
Relationships with family members or friends can often be intensified or disrupted by illness. Coping responses become fixed and the individual or family fears any change may affect their adjustment. Individuals also isolate themselves in coping with the illness demands. Some people simply do not have adequate support and need friendly outside assistance
Outline of therapy
Support consists of, for example:
1. Working through the illness history – how it began, how it felt, the severity of stress it brought to the patient or family, including associated emotional responses.
2. Discussing prognoses, treatments and progressions.
3. Developing coping strategies, self-help techniques and natural care solutions.
4. Working through associated disabilities and their consequence on daily life.
5. Encouraging positivity and motivation through discussion and action, enabling the patient to take charge of their illness.
And ultimately, the process of simply listening to the patient’s day-to-day experiences in their situation has been found to be sufficient in showing subsequent improvement in both physical and psychological health.
Business / employee counselling
Clients come to counselling from all walks of life, all ethnic backgrounds, and from all occupationsThey may be senior executives, company employees – indeed many more businesses every day now see the benefits of having confidential counselling available to their employees, as stress and stress-related illnesses now account for more than 60% of sick days taken each year – students or unemployedYoung or old, men and women of all kinds continue to benefit from support.
