Counselling is a form of therapy whereby a professional counsellor (therapist) meets with a client for an agreed number of sessions to discuss problems and issues that the client feels are causing them emotional distress. It can help people cope with or overcome life’s difficulties, as well as learn new skills to reduce distressing behaviour and feelings that may emerge in response to a crisis situation.
Counsellors use various therapeutic approaches in their work depending on the client. Generally speaking, counselling differs from psychotherapy in that the former is more focused on assisting a person through a specific problem or set of problems and is less concerned with underlying causes.
In the first session, a therapist will likely ask you about your history – such as your family and childhood experiences – to gain an understanding of your current problems. They will also ask what you’ve tried so far to resolve your issues and why it hasn’t worked.
A good counsellor has excellent listening skills and will be able to empathise with their clients. They should be able to repeat back in their own words what they’ve heard from the client (known as paraphrasing) and use questions to clarify their understanding. They should also be able to offer their clients summaries of the main themes that have emerged from the counselling session. https://transformation-coach.co/