Question: How do you judge when might be the right time to explore psychotherapy or counselling?
Answer: I think often you can have an idea that there is something going on, or that something is wrong, and have the sense that it requires attention. It can be easy and tempting to overlook this idea and sensation, but often the best course of action is to pursue the problem further through conversation. Ignoring it tends to kick it further down the road and leave it waiting for another time.
When we find the motivation and follow up on our sense that there is something wrong, or try to find out more about what it is that bothers us, rather than ignoring it, it often turns out be a route into areas of ourselves that have been ignored for years. The surprising thing is that often when we start to get to work on these worisome things we find a new energy and zest for life.
Question: But is this a good reason to see a psychotherapist or counsellor?
Answer: It seems to be the case that talking things through in complete confidence with an impartial psychotherapist helps us get to the bottom of what bothers us and helps powerful change to begin. It is often surprising just how much people find they are able to change because of this act of private conversation. It can help to change how we live, how we think about ourselves, how we take ourselves seriously, how we relate to other people.
