Paul Cockayne – 07791 970406 – paulcockayne3@gmail.com

This is a sort of counselling “blog” to give you a flavour of how I work. You can find more information about me by clicking one of the links above.  This blog was previously at http://www.pcrc.berkshire-website.co.uk where historical entries from November 2008 can be found.

Some people come into counselling under duress – persuaded by their partner that it is worth trying, not convinced it has any value.  I remember a client telling me that she had only come to counselling to “shut her partner up” and was expecting that after a couple of sessions she would be able to convince him that it wasn’t working, and that they should stop.

However, when she finished counselling she said that her view had changed.  She said that by the end of the second session she was finding that having an environment where she could talk about things was a great relief for her – that she had never felt able to do that before.  She realised that she had not been able to relax and be herself  with her partner and that the “act” she forced herself to put on 24 hours a day was immensely stressful for her.  She said that it had become her who encouraged her partner to come for counselling, rather than the other way around.

Her feelings are not uncommon – so if you are sceptical about counselling, it’s maybe worth just giving it a chance, and seeing what happens?