How can counselling support me?
Our counsellors can support you by:
- Offering a confidential space to talk about your worries without fear of being judged or told what to do.
- Helping you to identify your needs and priorities.
- Developing an understanding of your current difficulties.
- Exploring and evaluating different ways of coping.
- Developing plans to help you manage after our work has ended.
- Signposting you to other sources of information, support, and guidance.
What happens in my appointment with a counsellor?
As there are many different types of counselling, it is difficult to describe exactly what will happen in any given counselling session. However, here is an example of what to expect:
- The counsellor will invite you into the room or onto the call.
- The counsellor will discuss the counselling agreement, which explains details on how the sessions will proceed.
- The counsellor may ask you to fill out a questionnaire or assessment form to understand your concerns better.
- The counsellor will talk with you about your mental health condition and how it impacts your life at university and your ability to study.
- Counselling is collaborative, it is not something that is done to you – the counsellor will work with you to explore what is causing you distress and help you to process the issues and move on with your life.
- They can offer you practical advice and guidance on managing your mental health, which may include signposting to other services.
How many sessions will I have with the counsellor?
How many sessions you have will depend on several things.
- If you are meeting with a CBT or integrative therapist you will work with the therapist in blocks of six sessions. Depending on your mental health and the issues that you want to talk about in counselling, six sessions may be enough. If you are still feeling upset then the therapist will discuss the option of another block of sessions.
- If you are meeting with a person-centred counsellor the number of sessions may be more open-ended; again, the counsellor will discuss with you about how many sessions are helpful for you.
What do I have to talk about in counselling?
- It is up to you what you talk about. Sometimes, it may feel difficult to know where to start, if the issues go back a long way, or are complex and involve other people. It is quite usual to feel like this, especially if you are meeting a counsellor for the first time. Remember that the counsellor will not judge or criticise any choices you have made/not made.
- There may be some things it is still too difficult or painful to talk about and this is OK – you can let the counsellor know this. If the counsellor asks a question that you don’t feel ready to answer, it is fine to say that you can’t talk about this just now.
Do I have to pay for counselling at RCS?
No. Counselling is free for all undergraduate and postgraduate students at RCS.