Mental health articles

An NHS counselling service is free and access is through the GP surgery. It usually involves fifty-minute sessions weekly or fortnightly with a trained and accredited psychotherapist or counsellor, experienced in working with people with a variety of emotional problems. All such counselling takes place at the surgery (or clinic) within usual office hours. After an initial session, the counsellor will agree to see you for a number of sessions, according to your need, with occasional reference to the GPwho referred you.

The counselling will inevitably be time-limited (i.e., the number of sessions is limited—sometimes to about six). The counsellor may take or make some notes; however, these will not appear on your medical record. The counsellor will keep what you discuss with them within the strict bounds of professional confidentiality: they can only break this confidentiality under certain extreme circumstances; for example, if by not doing so, the person might harm him or herself or others, or if a court orders them to.

Counselling can help with:

Relationship problems.

Stress, depression, anxiety and low self esteem.

Bereavement and other loss; for example, miscarriage and abortion.

Coming to terms with traumatic events; for example, accidents, life changes, etc.

Sexual difficulties and addictive behavioural patterns.

Coping with violence and abuse.

Work difficulties: bullying, redundancy, problems with colleagues.

Self-harm.

Tags: counselling