Counselling Services in Brisbane
or Online or over Telephone

When and why would you consider Counselling Services – in Brisbane or anywhere else?

Well, as part of normal life we all have to face challenges from time to time. Most of the time we are able to handle our challenges quite successfully on our own, or perhaps with the help of our partner, a family member, or a friend, but sometimes we need assistance from someone with professional expertise.

For health challenges, you consult a medical doctor or some other health professional. For financial challenges, you consult the bank manager or a financial planner. For vehicle issues, you consult a mechanic or a car yard. And, for personal issues of an emotional-psychological nature, or just life in general, you consult someone who can provide you with life coaching or counselling services.

In the past, seeking professional help to deal with personal issues used to be seen as a sign of weakness. But in modern times it is rather seen as a sign of wisdom. You simply can’t be an expert on everything yourself, and if someone else has the tools and knows how to use them, why not take advantage of that?

To arrange your first session of Counselling phone me today, on (07) 3716 0600, or send me a message, using the email form on the Contact page.

Counselling services in Brisbane (Sherwood)
for individuals and couples

I have been in private practice, providing meaningful life coaching, personal counselling services, and relationship/marriage counselling services in Brisbane over 30 years by now. And every one of the thousands of sessions I have done with clients has been different. Obviously, as no two people are exactly the same, no two sessions can be exactly the same. The exact content of my counselling services is always determined by the needs of the individual client or couple.

Nevertheless, as research has clearly demonstrated, the most important factor for achieving a positive outcome with counselling is that the counsellor and the client work well together. And in order for that to be possible, you need to clearly feel that I get you, that I understand where you are at and what it is like to be you. I believe that this is what distinguishes a good counsellor from an ordinary one; the ability to really get the client, whoever they may be.

The principles that determine the quality of the connection between the counsellor and the client, are the same as in all personal contacts. What makes for good quality connection is being Authentic, Personal, and Present with one another. On top of this, you would of course also expect me to know several methods for dealing with personal problems, as well as be experienced and skillful in applying these to your particular situation.

As you have probably disovered, there are hundreds of places offering counselling services in Brisbane (and millions more in the world), so choosing the right counsellor can be difficult. Having spent as long as I have in this field, and subsequently also met with a vast number of counsellors, what stands out clearly is the importance of experience “on the job” when it comes to the difference between a great counsellor and a so-so counsellor. But even more important, really, is how they show up in their role. You will want to have a counsellor who “is real”, i.e. who shows up authentically as they are, not someone who is hiding behind a mask and a notepad.

So the best advice I can give you at this point is that you make sure to have chat over the phone with whoever you are considering as your counsellor, not just talk to their receptionist. That way you can get an idea of what they are like to talk to, how “real” they feel, and how comfortable you feel talking to them. After all, counselling is a very personal journey, and you will want to do it with someone that you feel comfortable with.
If you want to read more about my counselling approach, you can do it here: Counselling and Psychotherapy; integrated modalities.

Most of my counselling services in Brisbane are provided at my Sherwood clinic (map), as face-to-face, personal meetings. Either with one person, with a couple, with a family (or parts of a family), or with a therapy/counselling group. If you are not able to come to my clinic for your sessions, there is also the option that I provide you with counselling services over the internet or over the phone. You can find out more about that option here: counselling online or over phone.

Counselling or Life Coaching?

Depending on the nature of your challenges and where you are at in the process of overcoming them, you may need counselling or life coaching.

In general terms, as an individual facing a personal difficulty, if you consider your difficulty a (somewhat) serious problem that you feel a need to address in order for your life to be reasonable, then you probably need to start with personal counselling or psychotherapy.

On the other hand, if your life is already reasonably good, but you would nevertheless like to improve certain aspects of it, then you are more likely in need of personal life coaching. You can read more about the similarities and differences between life coaching and counselling in the article “Life Coaching and Counselling.”

It can be difficult to know beforehand what will be the best approach for your particular situation, but it typically becomes clear in your first session. Oftentimes the process starts out as counselling, and down the track turns into life coaching, when you feel stronger and your confidence and knowledge on how to tackle your challenges has improved.

Similarly, if you are a couple who are facing challenges in your relationship. If your relationship is suffering serious difficulties, you probably need marriage/relationship counselling. If your relationship is going quite well, and you simply want access to more useful strategies and tools, to make your relationship even more satisfying, then you probably want relationship coaching. Here too, the process often starts as couples counselling, and down the track transforms into relationship coaching.

If you are unsure of which alternative is for you, coaching or counselling services, we can work it out together, if we have a chat. Ring me now on (07) 3716 0600 or send me an email via my Contact page!

Continue to: Personal counselling services in Brisbane…

Continue to: Marriage/Relationship counselling services in Brisbane…

Continue to: Telephone & Online counselling services…

You may also want to browse some of the Counselling articles on my Blog page…