Counselling means different things to different people. Some people think it’s about giving advice or telling people what they ought to do, as in ‘giving counsel’. Sometimes people confuse legal counsel with psychological counselling.

I’m trained in several different approaches to counselling. In general, they all work with the ideas and perspectives we have about life, how we look at life and whether the ways we look at life are helpful or unhelpful. My goal in counselling is to help you deepen your awareness, clarify your choices, and appreciate the consequences of your choices.

If you’ve read my section on Coaching, you’re probably already seeing some overlap. Coaching and Counselling are often both focused on language and emotions.

You might also see some overlap with between Counselling and Psychotherapy, though Counselling is typically about conscious issues whereas Psychotherapy is more often about unconscious processes. In other words, Counselling is more about what you think about a specific problem or issue. Psychotherapy is more about how you think and how you do life in general. Sometimes we need to draw from both approaches.

Counselling in this context focuses on you as an individual, but of course it can also be relevant in the context of a relationship, where another person may need to be directly involved. For Marriage and Relationship Counselling, see ‘For Couples’.

Rebates

It may be possible for you to obtain a Medicare rebate if you attend for counselling or psychotherapy for particular psychological issues. For more information on eligibility, see ‘Rebates & Reduced Fees’.