Counselling disponibile anche in italiano (madrelingua italiana).
Low mood and depression counselling
Depression is a real illness that can be diagnosed by a GP. It comes with real symptoms, both mental and physical. It's not a sign of weakness or something you can get over just "pulling yourself together".
When you're are depressed, you feel persistently sad for weeks or months, no matter what is going on around you. The feelings that accompany depression could be unhappiness, hopelessness, numbness, losing interest in things and being tearful.
Counselling can help you understand where depression comes from and give you the chance to change your outlook. Gradually, you'll start to look at the future again in a brighter way and appreciate the good things in life.
Relationship counselling
Whether you're encountering difficulties in a new or long-term relationship, trying to get over a failed relationship or looking for a new one, counselling can help.
All relationships have their ups and downs, and require constant adjustment of plans and expectations as partners deal with each other, and with life's obstacles and challenges. A relationship counsellor can be a vital support, improving communication, increasing trust and minimising the difficulties of emotionally charged situations - from affairs to divorce, from sex to separation.
Relationship counselling can help you understand what you're looking for from a relationship, examine and learn from experiences in the past, and look to the future new-found confidence and increased self-awareness.
Bereavement counselling
Bereavement is the period we spend adjusting to loss. It's a time of confused and mixed feelings - denial, despair, guilt, sadness, bargaining and anger - all at once.
There's no fixed time for bereavement, no right or wrong way to feel. We all have to find our own way to cope with it. Sometimes it can be very difficult to adjust to the loss of somebody important, as it touches so many areas of your life, your beliefs, and your very way of being.
Bereavement counselling can provide invaluable support during this difficult time: helping you make the necessary adjustments, find acceptance and move forward in life.
Stress and anxiety counselling
Stress is a perfectly normal reaction that affects everybody from time to time. When you're under pressure or feel overloaded, your ability to cope is often diminished.
The root cause could be external factors such as life experiences, traumas or the incessant demands of a busy schedule. Or it could be internal factors such as thoughts that swirl around in your head: low self-esteem, worry, uncertainty or unduly high expectations of yourself.
Anxiety is more persistent than stress, and the causes are often more difficult to identify. It can lead people to imagine the worst and even think they're losing their sanity because of some psychological condition.
Counselling can help remove the negative effects of stress and anxiety, and identify the root causes. You'll learn how to cope, and to make the necessary changes to move on.
Counselling for adults sexually abused in childhood
The wall of silence around this issue has recently come down thanks to the power of social media and some high-profile cases.
Sexual abuse in childhood is highly traumatic, and continues to affect the lives of people well in to adulthood, regardless of the time elapsed.
Counselling can help you understand that it's not your fault, and will reposition the shame and blame. You'll discover how to rebuild your self-esteem and trust again, and ease the negative side effects. You'll more fully understand behaviours and relationships, and will finally break out of the patterns of the past so you can live life to the full in the future.
