Therapy is time set aside by you and your therapist to talk about the issues that have made you seek therapy.

It’s not just a friendly chat like you’d have with friends or family. Your therapist may offer information but they won’t give their opinions or advice or try to persuade you to a particular point of view. Therapy might include talking about past and present life events, your feelings, emotions, relationships, ways of thinking and patterns of behaviour. Your therapist will help you look at your concerns and identify the best course of action for you, which might be helping you to resolve your difficulties or to find ways of coping.

Therapists can:
• offer a safe and confidential space to help you explore emotional problems
• help you make sense of your world
• help you explore feelings and thoughts to resolve emotional distress
• help you towards a better understanding of yourself and others, which may improve your ability to relate to others

Therapy fees vary. Some Therapists offer a sliding scale of fees. Many counselling services within the HSE are, for the most part, free. Some voluntary bodies offer their services free of charge or at a
low cost. If you have private health insurance or healthcare, this may include therapy services.

The first one or two meetings with a therapist are your chance to see how you feel about the therapist and decide if you can work together. The more information you have about what to expect, the more satisfied you are likely to be with the therapy. A good therapist will expect you to ask questions and will be happy to answer them. Remember that as a consumer you have rights of choice. Questions you might ask:
• What kind of counselling do you offer and what is it trying to achieve?
• How long is a session and how often are they held?
• How many sessions might I need and how does the counselling end?
• When should I expect to feel some benefit?
• Can I contact you between sessions if I need to?
• What training have you had and how many years have you been practising?
• What professional organisations do you belong to?
• Have you had experience of working with people with similar problems to mine?
• Is counselling confidential and when might confidentiality be broken?
• How much do I pay per session and is there a cancellation fee?

Counselling and Psychotherapy provide a safe and confidential space for you to talk to a trained professional about your issues and concerns. Your therapist will help you explore your thoughts, feelings and behaviours so you can develop a better understanding of yourself and of others. Therapy can be helpful if you’re feeling painful emotions or facing difficult decisions, if you want to improve or change your relationships, or if you’d like to develop a better understanding of yourself or others. Perhaps something unsettling has happened, such as a bereavement, redundancy, divorce or health scare. There may be something in your past that’s not been dealt with and is now interfering with your daily life. Or you may want help to cope with issues such as anxiety, stress or personal problem solving. You may feel isolated and have no one to talk to, but sometimes even those with the most supportive friends and family can find it difficult to explain why they’re feeling anxious or depressed. Or you might just find it easier to talk about personal, family or relationship issues with someone independent. You don’t have to be on the verge of crisis before having therapy. You might be feeling dissatisfied with life in general or seeking balance in your life. Seeking help from a therapist is something many people consider, especially when:
• facing a significant crisis
• dealing with an extended period of anxiety or depression
• coping with a major life transition
• dealing with complicated family dynamics
• grappling with problems in a relationship
• trying to manage addiction or substance abuse
• wanting to make changes for better mental and emotional health Regardless of your reason, therapy offers a broad array of benefits for all of us.