Counselling

'I'm fine; there's nothing wrong with me.'

This is the sort of thing you might hear from someone facing difficulties in the workplace coupled with difficulties at home.

They are finding the stress too much to handle, yet they feel they need to be seen to be coping.

It's a depressing scenario and one which more and more people are facing.

They can't cope as well as they used to be able to and they really don't know what to do about it.

On the other hand, they don't want to appear weak and vulnerable or jeopardise their careers by appearing unable to cope.

Even with the current acceptance of counselling as a healthy option for those working under stressful conditions, there's still a reluctance for some of us to use counselling when things get rough.

Sometimes things have to get so rough that the person's in a right state so that there is really no option left, other than a breakdown or burnout.

Counselling is not a magic bullet

Counselling can't change the external pressures you work under.

What it can do is provide strategies for coping with difficulties and insight into your behaviour.

It can help you see how you impact on others and how their behaviour affects you.

Counselling also gives you the bigger picture and puts your current situation into a wider context.

This is really valuable, as many of us just cannot see what else may be going on.

In times of stress, we all find it harder to see clearly by ourselves.

Equally important is that counselling offers you a safe place to confide and off-load your current problems and issues with no career limiting consequences.

Objectivity, perception and empathy are part of the counselling process.

Counselling can help you be more yourself while handling the everyday pressures of life more effectively.