Acknowledging that you have a problem and seeking help to work it out are real and positive first steps in realising the opportunity you have to face the crisis and institute positive and lasting changes in your self and your life.

Counselling is a talking therapy that involves a counselor and client. The clinician will listen, challenge and help the client work through issues to enable them to increase self awareness and enable them to improve their quality of life through this self development. The way we talk to ourselves has a distinct impact on the way we act. In the process of professional counselling you will learn to replace unproductive thinking and behaviour with productive thinking and behaviour. Growth takes place at crisis points and working with a caring professional in these times of need will allow you to make the changes you want in your life.

The reasons people seek professional counselling help are as wide and varied as the people themselves. Clients come from all walks of life and from all occupations. They maybe managers of large businesses, students, unemployed, in relationships, or single, divorced, separated. Men and women of all kinds benefit from the services provided by professional counselors. Often clients have experienced distressing or stressful experiences or situations which they would like to talk about in a caring and professional setting. These may include present circumstances of bereavement, separation, or other major life transitions or experiences from the past such as childhood, employment termination, and redundancy. Others seek help in dealing with specific psychological or behavioural traits which they would like to alter, such as addictions, compulsive thoughts or difficulties in relating to people.

When you attend counselling for the first time in the initial 3 or 4 meetings we will get to know one another and start talking about your issues. This will help you to decide if you are comfortable with your choices and if there is a mutual agreement about a practical working relationship. From the introductory phase we will develop your goals and set about working towards achieving the changes you want in your life.

Increasingly many clients also explore personal coaching- a service well suited to helping them re-discover their own talents, identify what is most important to them in life and create and implement concrete plans to live the life you want. Darren Peake is a member of CAPA and abides by its code of conduct and ethics.