A brief story of what led me to become a counsellor
I was in my mid-twenties when suddenly something felt different in me. I’d lost my ‘spark’ and things I used to enjoy didn’t do it for me anymore. I experienced episodes of disturbed sleep, some paranoia, anxiety, crushing low moods and wanting to withdraw from the people I was closest to. I did the usual thing that many of us do, of not telling anyone and waiting it out to see if I’d get better. When that failed, I then tried to fix myself as if I was a broken car, a method that, I found out the hard way, doesn’t work too well when it comes to treating mental ill-health. I went to see a counsellor a few years later, and disguising myself as having a ‘relationship’ problem (not altogether untrue). He was the first person to mention the word depression to me. I went home, read up on it and felt I was staring into a mirror, I could relate to most of the symptoms. From that point I started a journey of self-discovery and change which has been amazing, fascinating and sometimes a little scary. Having taken this journey, I now have a closer connection to my true self. Along the way I made a complete career change as well as re-evaluating and improving my relationship with food. I now live an enjoyable full life, in a job I love. I’ve welcomed my spark back!
I now see that my reluctance to seek or accept help delayed my progress.
My personal experience of mental ill-health now provides the fuel for my passion for counselling. I draw upon this, along with my professional training and expertise, to help others along their journey from a place of suffering to one of wellbeing.
The purpose of telling my story is that I believe for counselling to work effectively, it is crucial that you feel you can connect and work with me as your counsellor. Hopefully this gives you a flavour of the kind of person I am, as well as what led me to my career of helping others improve their lives.
