Individual Counselling
There are many times in our lives where we feel we may need to pay some attention to working on our personal well being. Generally, an indication that it may be time for individual counselling is when we are feeling a significant degree of emotional distress for a period of a few weeks or more, and everyday functioning is beginning to be impacted by this distress. Individual counselling can be a valuable support for all of us during these times.
Counselling is for normal people experiencing significant distress. This distress may take the shape of anxiety, or depression, or behavioral problems. The distress may be associated with a specific situation or personal experience, or it may not be easy to explain, but it is there and it may be impacting on the ability to function as well as we usually do. Counselling can be an important support to assist us to find our way back to a better place.
What is it?
Counselling might include some aspects of education, it may also include developing skills and strategies, or it may include understanding meaningful links to past traumatic experiences and how they can be impacting on us in the present in our everyday lives. Psychological counselling can include developing new life directions and goals as well as forming the steps towards achieving these new goals. It may include the need to shift our perspective or the ways we usually approach things. Sometimes counselling may include all of the above.
When to make an appointment?
Signs that it is time to make an appointment include:
- When everyday functioning is beginning to be impacted by low mood or irritability
- When feeling a lack of enthusiasm or energy
- When there is uncharacteristic crying or expressions of anger
- Reoccurring nightmares
- Ongoing distress after experiencing or witnessing a violent crime towards self or another
- When struggling to adapt to significant changes in the outer world
Franca Gatta offers a range of psychological services to assist in the treatment of:
- Depression
- Anxiety/panic
- Trauma
- Grief and Loss
- Self Esteem issues
- Sexual Abuse issues
- Work Stress
- Adjustment disorders
- Relationship problems
Franca has experience in writing reports and working with individuals who are under a Workcover Claim in addition to those who are under a Victims of Crime claim www.victimsofcrime.com.au/VictimOfCrime .
What to expect?
The counselling process can vary widely from one individual to another depending on their unique circumstances. Generally, individuals can expect to be provided with a place where they can feel respected and heard without judgment. For many there is some improvement by 6-12 sessions. However, the number of stressors, the level of distress, the type of problem, the length of time the problem has been there, all contribute to a wide variation in the number of sessions that can be expected.
The first appointment is mostly a collecting of information about the problem and it’s background. As the sessions progress the approach is a more collaborative process of deciding what to work on and working with the individual’s unique resources and strengths.
