Getting counselling

[Littlewilly]

Hi, have'nt been on for a while so I just thought I'd let you's know that a couple of weeks ago I finally made up my mind after speaking to my doc last year about what to do about GAD. He told me I will need to see a therapist so I went to the local church where the counselling office's are where I live in Bucks England & after a long chat she gave me a leaflet for an organisation called (MIND) so I went along for an assessment & when the counsellor saw me he asked several questions one of which was how was I feeling & did I ever feel suicidal (I know thats two) but I told him no & I did'nt want to get to that stage neither but after I came out I started to feel very uneasy about things. Whether it was because it was the way the questions were put to me or what I don't know but I've started to feel a bit on the low side when I first wake up in the mornings now.
I've now got to wait for when the sessions start which could be upto 4-6 weeks.
Did I do the right thing in going for counselling.::

 

[Beatrice]

I go to counseling too. I haven't had a bad experience so far, and I've had two different counselors. But, that's only two. As long as you begin to feel comfortable with your counselor, I think you made a good decision. And if you find it doesn't seem to be helping, figure out why, maybe. Are you not applying what you're learning/discussing, or is the counselor not asking the right quesitons (so maybe you need to switch counselors), etc. I'm sure it won't hurt though! What have you got to lose? Good luck!

 

[Littlewilly]

Thanks for your good wishes.But I have'nt actually started the sessions yet,I may have to wait for 4 - 6 weeks for them to start as there is a waiting list?.
It was an assessor that I saw to see which type of counsellor would be appropiate for my situation.I have asked though to have a female counsellor because I feel I would be able to open up more,I don't know.
But I do sit back sometimes & think to myself how I ever got here in the first place,I never wanted it (GAD etc that is) has it been with me all my life,what brought it on,is it generic (OOPS! watta word). Its taken me years to find out what is wrong with me or maybe its a Love shyness problem or both,I don't know, I really don't know.

 

[GloomySunday]

I've had counselling in the past, with mixed results. It's a question of finding someone you're comfortable with. Someone you feel you can talk to easily.

The first counsellor I ever had I just didn't like him and didn't really have productive sessions. After telling him this, he said I was welcome to see another counsellor if I wished. The guy I saw was fairly young and into his music. He noticed I was wearing a Joy Division T Shirt ('Love Will Tear Us Apart') and we talked about them mostly! It's funny, but through that connection (shared love of certain bands) we were able to move on and talk about personal things. I just felt comfortable with him and like it was talking to a friend. I knew that he wasn't (and you should never see a counsellor as this) but it was just a feeling that he was the right sort of person and was 'on my wavelength'.

Good luck with this.