First session

Rose113 · December 2023

I have my first councelling session tomorrow at 2pm and I'm so scared

EmmaLou30 · December 2023

Hi River!

Starting counselling can be such a daunting prospect but I promise that everything will be okay; just take it at your own pace and all will be fine

You are an incredibly strong person and deserve all the happiness in the world

Perhaps for your next sessions you could write down some things that you wanted to go over ? That way you can talk about the things which are most important to you. Sometimes having a bit of a list can help us to feel more prepared and relaxed since we will know what to expect!

I hope everything goes well for you today

Rose113 · December 2023

@EmmaLou30 the session went really good

im glad I went

EmmaLou30 · December 2023

That's absolutely brilliant @River ! I am so pleased for you

If you ever need to chat about your counselling, the community are here whenever you need us

sinead276 · December 2023

@River - just wanted to say I'm also glad your session went well and that it is benefitting you

And like emma said, if you ever wanna talk about it more, we're all here for you

ebyrne556 · December 2023

Just echoing but really wanted to say amazing news and well done for going its not easy and a big step.We are all proud of you and sending positivity and hugs

Rose113 · December 2023

Had second session today, feel so deflated

kaii · December 2023

Hi @River, just wanted to say that you're so so brave for starting counselling! I'm glad to hear that your first session went well, though I'm sorry that you feel deflated after your second one yesterday.

If you're comfortable, would you like to talk to us more about this? Was there something that you didn't like about the session? Or was it effective but you just feel exhausted after going? The community is here for you whenever you need us

I think it's also important to remember that counselling sessions may not always be smooth sailing - you may feel energised after some, or exhausted from time to time. I've never had counselling but I would imagine that this is normal - hopefully you can still benefit from the next few sessions! But of course, if you feel like you're going nowhere after a few sessions, it's definitely okay to take a step back from counselling and reflect on other potential methods to improve your mental health. I agree with what @EmmaLou30 said, having a plan can be really handy for you to benefit a lot from your sessions!

I hope all goes well, and feel free to keep us updated!

Rose113 · December 2023

@kaii she broughted up my past ans says it why I harm

mum wants me to see my real mum

but cant do dat

kaii · December 2023

I’m so sorry that they brought up your past @River, I can imagine how uncomfortable this made you feel. I’m not too sure how counselling works, but I think they want to try and help you hurt yourself less, so they may have dived into your painful, traumatic experiences to think of possible reasons/triggers. But at the same time, you are definitely entitled to not talk about anything that you’re not ready to talk about. Counselling is definitely not an easy process - it can involve bringing up a lot of painful experiences as you’ve described above - so you’re so so brave for taking it, and experiencing discomfort for the sake of recovery.

In the meantime, do you have any coping methods that can help you deal with your emotions? This can be something simple as walking in nature, watching your favourite TV show…etc. Maybe writing down in a journal about how you felt, or talking about this with a trusted person can help you lighten the load on your chest.

Additionally, for your next session, it may help to talk about how you felt after your last session, so that they can reflect with you to find a better way to approach difficult topics like this. It can possibly help to plan something to look forward to after your counselling sessions, like reading a book to relax.

As always, we’re here for you. Sending lots of hugs

First session

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