How counselling helped Stuart

I resisted speaking to someone for years, feeling I was strong enough to sort out my own mess. However it was the loss of a good friend that made me think 'what the hell' and pluck up the courage to see someone.

I organised an initial session with Peter, who was a psychologist specialising in counselling. It was difficult to start with, and I talked mainly about 'safer' topics linked to my difficulties coming to terms with my friend's death and the impact these were having on my life. Just talking was such a relief to me and Peter was really helpful in pointing out things in what I said that made me think. He was a good listening ear too who didn't seem to judge me for who and what I was.

Over time, I opened up and talked to him about difficult stuff from my past, as well as some of the problems I was having managing how much I drank. Again we talked a lot about these things and I was kind of able to make sense of why I did what I did and felt the way I did. This helped me change things, mainly by realising I was not to blame for things in the ways I'd feared.

That actually changed my life, as I realised how much I'd lived driven by guilt and anger. I now have a much healthier lifestyle and don't drink anything like the amount I used to. I still have low moments and remain on anti-depressants (my GP has a plan to stop these soon, which I guess I agree with). Mostly I feel content and have hope the future might offer me something more than I had expected. I have a college course coming up and think this might be the start of something new.

If, like Stuart, you need to speak to somebody about current difficulties you are experiencing or things that have happened in the past, please contact us.

BACK TO ALL CLIENT CASE STUDIES

CLICK HERE FOR MORE ABOUT COUNSELLING

Practitioners offering counselling at our Glasgow centre:

Professor Ewan Gillon, Counselling Psychologist
Dr Maria Gascon, Counselling Psychologist
Dr Gerald McNinch, Counselling Psychologist / Couples Therapist
Dr Laura Taylor, Counselling Psychologist
Rebecca Kayne, Counsellor / Psychotherapist