There’s a national movement called Time to Change which is working to reduce the stigma around mental health issues. Each year there is a Time to Change Week and a Time to Talk Day. The events try to encourage people to talk about their mental health issues.  As the Time to Change website says…..

“Too many people with mental health problems are made to feel isolated, worthless and ashamed. Time to Talk Day is a chance for all of us to be more open about mental health – to talk, to listen, to change lives. Wherever you are – at home, at work or up the top of a mountain! – have your conversation about mental health today.”

It’s a great idea.  A really simple concept that could be the catalyst for change.

For some with mental health issues there isn’t a supportive person to talk to. They may live in violent relationships, exist in isolation or simply not want to ‘bother’ their friends and family. For these people counselling can be a hugely powerful form of support.

Here, one of our clients tells how counselling has helped her.

“I had lots of difficult times, stresses and strains of life.  I have a 17 year old step daughter who is Down’s syndrome and my partner drinks a lot.

I was at a pretty low point last year when I started coming to Phoenix for counselling. My head was very scrambled up with lots of stress, worry and anxiety,  caused from my partner, step daughter and general life getting too much for me at times. Myself being the sole provider put such a massive strain on my stress levels, & the positive energy that I had was slowly going in a negative direction, home life was awful and the lack of support I was getting well this was a complete zero!!

I started going for counselling. A charity that I’m involved with recommended it and put me in touch with Phoenix. To be honest I don’t know how I would be now in terms of coping with day to day life at home and work.  I think I probably would have had a nervous breakdown because I was heading in the direction of having one.

The counselling sessions allowed me to off-load my problems.  They gave me time to work out what’s happening at home and I felt much better when I talked about things that I had problems with. I had several counselling sessions and at the end I felt much less stressed. I was able to rationalise on life’s ups and downs and handle things better by openly talking to my partner.  I don’t bottle things up anymore, I just off load them and deal with problems better in a calm manner rather than just getting all upset and angry.  The counselling really helped me to overcome lots of anxiety, stresses, panic attacks and my home life is much better.”

Could Counselling help you talk?

1. A counselling session provides a confidential space where you can talk about any issues that may be bothering you
2. The aim of counselling is to provide a supportive place for you to talk, think and explore.
3. The counsellor is trained to listen and reflect common threads in what you are saying back to you. This can sometimes help to clarify things in your own mind
4. The counsellor will not tell you what to do but will encourage you to identify and explore solutions to your issues
5. This type of setting can be deeply supportive and really help people to move forwards in their lives.

We aren’t saying that counselling is a magic panacea for all ills but it certainly works for some people, especially those who can’t talk about their mental health issues anywhere else.

If you would like to know more about counselling or the work of Phoenix Health and Wellbeing then please do get in touch. In the meantime let’s all get behind the Time to Change campaign and try to talk more openly about mental health whether that be severe mental health issues or emotional mental health issues -all are important.

Opening times:

Monday to Thursday from 10:00 to 20:00

Friday and Saturday from 11:00 to 16:00

Sunday closed.

Phoenix Health & Wellbeing is a Charity.  By coming to us for a treatment you can relax in the knowledge that you are helping others less fortunate than yourself. We use the proceeds of your treatment to subsidise those who would not otherwise be able to access our therapies. Roughly £3 to every £10 spent with us will go to help others.

Image from: https://www.youtube.com/user/ttcnow2008