Counselling and Therapy – Who is it for?

One of the questions I am asked more than any other is ‘who can benefit from counselling/therapy’, and my honest answer is everyone… they just don’t realise it.

Although mental health is significantly more in focus, understood and discussed today than even 5 years ago, there is still a general feeling that stress, anxiety and mental ill health is something that happens to someone else, and that it’s not something that is a problem for me or that I need help with. It is a fact that there is still a taboo about mental illness, particularly with men, and it can often be seen as an admission of weakness in some way to admit that you feel unhappy/depressed or anxious.

Everyday life for many people is often difficult, stressful and anxiety provoking, therefore who could argue that having someone who you can share your innermost thoughts and feelings with in a confidential and non-judgemental environment is not a good thing.

A generation ago, most of us would probably have grown up within an extended family, with parents/grandparents and often cousins/aunts and uncles to share our thoughts with, gain valuable ‘life’ advice and be able to feel secure and in a safe environment. Sadly in 2024 the picture has changed dramatically for many people, and the extended family in close proximity is something that many of us do not experience.

In the 1960’s one of the main high street banks in the UK ran a tv advertising campaign which portrayed everyone as having their bank manager in a wardrobe in their house, allowing them to have access to financial advice whenever they needed it just by opening the wardrobe door. Whilst I clearly would not advocate having your own therapist secreted in a cupboard, the principle of modern counselling and therapy is the same: imagine being able to access a professional who will be able to help you re-focus, re-frame and re-evaluate your thoughts and feelings at the press of a few buttons, which is pretty much how ‘on-line’ therapy works. It would be very hard to argue that this would not be a really good thing for everyone.

So, my view is that good therapy and counselling can be a positive experience for anyone who feels stuck, wants to take stock, re-set their goals and ambitions or check in on how their life is going, it’s just that most people don’t realise how helpful it can be.