This is a recount  of own personal experience.

Last year it seemed that everybody was offering to give me counselling or said I needed to see a psychologist, doctor, psychiatrist, therapist because people decided that is what I needed. No one asked me. They just assumed I needed professional help.

A month after the fires my partner and I went to see counsellor who had absolutely no concept about what we had been through or any of our life experiences. She did talk but I am not sure she was really listening. She would often ask us a question about something we just talked about several minutes before. 

There are social workers in my family who told me to get counselling. This was purely based on the fact I had been through a traumatic experience. I felt volunteering and writing helped me, but no one listened. I tried another counsellor who was listening but also liked to chat and I learnt a lot about this person’s life. 

I was advised by friends that if you wanted a good rapport with a counsellor take a list of what you wanted to achieve. If I knew what I wanted out of counselling I would not need it in the first place.

I think the right type of counselling with an understanding counsellor really helps. In my experience I felt people just offered it without looking at my needs or the type of counselling I needed. I needed someone who had knowledge of what I went through and who would listen and not offer advice.

Have you found people suggest you need counselling without asking you what you need? If you have a positive experience what made it so worthwhile?

Leah

A Moodscope member.