"Will Person centred Counselling make me feel better?"

- ‘You made me feel that it’s OK to be me.’
- ‘I felt accepted, even parts of me that I was ashamed of.’
- ‘Thank you for being honest with me.’
- ‘I stopped panicking, sat down, looked my fears in the face and realised that at last I was no longer running away.’
- ‘It was wonderful to hear you say that my anger was also creative and powerful because I have always tried to suppress it.’
- ‘I understood, much more, why I am like I am, which made me feel better about myself.’

These are some of the things people have said to me over the years in my work as an Exeter counsellor working for the National Health, the Exeter Drugs Project and now in private practice. It should be said that these are people who felt positive about person centred counselling and that it may not suit everyone. It is mostly about understanding yourself better with the aim of feeling better about you.

When is the right time for Person Centred Counselling?

Sometimes it can become hard to talk to people close to us as they may either be part of the problem or unavailable. Others don’t seem to listen to us and we can feel overwhelmed by feelings and very isolated. This happens to most of us at times. Giving ourselves some sessions of person centred counselling is a way of sharing and looking after our emotional well being in the same way as we may try to look after our bodies.

What is Person Centred Counselling?

It was started by a man called Carl Rogers in the 1950s and has proved very effective and safe ever since. Rogers did not like the prevailing attitude of ‘I know best what is good for you’. He saw this as judgmental and thought people were being treated like patients rather than real people. Some doctors still have this superior attitude. Rogers started person centred counselling which is based on the idea that we need to be listened to properly, understood and accepted in a completely non-judgemental way. This helps us to think clearly and find our own way forward, in our own time.

What happens in to Person Centred Counselling?

I keep to a strict code of confidentiality. People usually ring me and talk and then have a try out session to find out what it’s like. If they want to go on, we meet for one hour each week and this can continue for a few weeks or as long as they want.

I find that if I am considerate, honest and straightforward, if I stick to the discipline of not judging but understanding and accepting, then people experience a sense of space and companionship which helps them to think more clearly for themselves.

Nick Willatt : 01392 479 248 and 07899 636 904

MA. Dip.Ed. Dip. Couns. BACP Accredited UKRC Registered