Want to be the BEST version of YOU? Then get yourself a therapist!
I’m here to tell you why you should have a Therapist in your repertoire of health and wellbeing professionals, alongside your Doctor, Dentist, Hair Stylist etc. This blog will show you the benefits of counselling, how to know when you’re ready to start the process and how to actually get started by choosing the right therapist for you and why you need to embark on your journey to the best version of yourself.
In a world where mental health challenges are becoming increasingly prevalent, the role of counselling has never been more important. Whether it's a response to stress, trauma, or emotional struggles, therapy offers an invaluable space for self-exploration, healing, and growth. But who can benefit from counselling, how do you start and how can you choose the right path?
As of March 2023, there were approximately 289 thousand therapy professionals in employment in the United Kingdom (Statista 2024).
This included physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, psychotherapists and cognitive behaviour therapists, clinical psychologists, and other psychologists. So, how on earth do we choose the right one for our needs?
It’s a minefield right? Let’s start at the beginning…
Why Embark on a Counselling Journey?
The benefits are profound. Counselling can help you:
Process and Heal from Trauma:
For emergency service workers, unresolved trauma can build up over time, leading to long-term psychological issues. Counselling can aid in processing these experiences thoroughly and reducing their emotional weight.
Develop Coping Strategies:
Therapy equips you with tools to manage stress, anxiety, and trauma. This is particularly valuable for those in high-pressure jobs where stress is a constant companion.
Improve Emotional Wellbeing:
If you are facing a specific crisis, counselling can help you better understand your emotions, improve relationships, and build resilience.
Gain Perspective:
Speaking to an impartial professional can offer a new perspective on problems. It can be the first step to breaking free from unhealthy patterns or habits.
Who Can Benefit from Counselling?
Counselling isn't limited to individuals facing severe mental health issues; it’s for anyone feeling overwhelmed, confused, or stuck. From students grappling with academic pressure to frontline emergency workers like police, fire, and ambulance services dealing with trauma, therapy can help people from all walks of life.
Frontline responders, in particular, face unique stressors. Exposure to life-threatening situations, tragic losses, and repeated high-stakes decisions can take a toll. The constant pressure to be alert, resilient, and unaffected can lead to deep-rooted issues like PTSD, anxiety, depression, or burnout. Counselling provides a safe, confidential environment where they can process these experiences and find emotional relief.
Historically, seeking mental health support in professions like policing was often viewed as a sign of weakness. The culture of stoicism made it difficult for people in these roles to open up. However, recent shifts in mental health awareness have encouraged more openness, and many emergency services now actively promote therapy as a tool for resilience, although this can often take time and effort to put into place and if almost always of a limited amount.
In the US, most people see a therapist like they see a dentist or doctor and they take their mental health just as seriously as their physical health. Whilst this is much better in the UK nowadays compared to 20 years ago, there is still a lot of work to be done to normalise counselling therapy. One of the resounding thoughts after my therapy journey was, ‘why the fudge didn't I do this earlier?!’
You may have tried therapy before, found it completely useless and a waste of your time so you’ve dismissed it ever since. I hear you! I did the same years ago and I just gave up. Those working in high pressure roles such as police, fire, ambulance are exposed to so much more trauma then the rest of the general population and they just store up their thoughts, feelings and emotions and move on to the next job ensuring that they go above and beyond to provide a service and do their duty. When a therapist doesn’t get that complexity, it shows.
How to Tell When You’re Ready for Counselling Therapy?
People often ask, "How do I know if I'm ready for therapy?". I’m sorry to say that there is no ‘perfect’ moment. The readiness comes from recognising that you want to make a change, process something difficult, or gain greater emotional clarity. If it s not worked with one therapist, try another, do your research to fond your best fit therapist.
In my personal experience, I just wanted someone to clarify that I wasn’t losing it and going crazy, I actually had a complex maze within my mind of complex trauma going on.
Some signs that you can look out for that might suggest you’re ready for therapy could be:
- You’re tired of feeling stuck in a cycle of negative emotions.
- You feel emotionally drained but can’t pinpoint why.
- You’ve experienced trauma and can’t move past it.
- You’ve tried coping mechanisms but still feel overwhelmed.
For emergency service workers, readiness may come when you realise the emotional armour you've worn to protect yourself is starting to crack. Perhaps you've noticed a change in behaviour, a short temper, or an inability to switch off after a long shift. These are all signals that by talking to someone could help ease the burden. Sadly, many of the clients I see have in excess of 10-20 plus years of emotional trauma that they’ve been carrying around with them just packing it down and carrying on to the next job, but then something happens in life and EVERYTHING uncontrollably rises to the top and you’re forced to face it head on.
Everything got too much in my own personal experience and I just couldn’t go on not being able to cope with everything swimming around in my head 24/7 with no way out, I could not figure out a way to make things better. I was broken, vulnerable and exhausted.
How do I get Started with the Counselling Therapy Process?
Embarking on a therapeutic journey may feel daunting, but the first step is often the hardest. If you feel lost, anxious, or stressed and unable to manage these feelings alone, it may be time to consider therapy. Here are a few steps to get started:
1. Recognise the Need for Help:
If daily life feels overwhelming, emotions feel out of control, or relationships are being affected, counselling might be a good step forward.
2. Seek Referrals or Recommendations:
People find therapists through recommendations from friends, family, or colleagues. For those in high-pressure roles, your workplace may have counselling services or can refer you to specialists who work with trauma.
3. Explore Online Directories:
There are several online directories where you can find qualified counsellors, such as the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) or Psychology Today or the Counselling Directory.
Choosing the Right Type of Counselling
Once you’ve decided to begin counselling, the next step is choosing the right type of therapy. Different modalities cater to different needs, and the one that works for you depends on your personal experiences and what you aim to achieve. Think of it like this; if you had a broken leg, you wouldn’t see a Gastroenterologist to fix it. Seek a therapist with their own lived experience and/or specialism in that niche area to get the best service for your needs.
Some common types include:
Integrative or Eclectic Therapy:
This approach combines elements from different counselling methods, tailoring therapy to each client’s unique needs. It's beneficial when trauma intersects with ongoing life stresses, common in high-pressure professions.
Person Centred Therapy:
Rooted in empathy, this form of counselling encourages clients to lead their sessions, creating a safe space for self-exploration. This can be beneficial for anyone wanting a non-directive approach, especially those unsure of what they’re seeking but know they need change.
Trauma Informed Therapy:
Given the nature of emergency services work, trauma informed therapies BrainWorking Recursive Therapy (BWRT) can help individuals process traumatic experiences that are deeply embedded in their psyche. Trauma informed therapists assume that a client could have a trauma history and will take steps to avoid inadvertently triggering or traumatising the client in therapy.
Each of these approaches offers something unique, and speaking to a counsellor about your specific challenges can help determine the best fit.
All of these types of counsellors may use a range of different theoretical approaches that they think would be the best fit and in line with your goals, needs and expectations for your therapy journey.
One big lesson learned is: you don't have to stay with the first counsellor, or any counsellor for that matter, that’s not the right fit for you. The most important thing is the rapport within your therapeutic relationship. You must feel safe, secure and willing to open up to your therapist. It’s not an easy process but your therapist should make this as comfortable as possible for you.
Conclusion: The Road to Recovery
Mental health is as important as physical health, yet it’s often neglected, especially by those working in demanding roles like police, fire, and ambulance services. Counselling offers a way to step back, reflect, and process the challenges life throws at you, whether that’s trauma, anxiety, or just the daily grind.
While the decision to start therapy can feel overwhelming, the benefits far outweigh the initial fears or hesitations. For anyone struggling with emotional health, the right counsellor can be a guide on the journey towards healing and growth. I felt like I had been reborn (sounds dramatic but true!) and free from the shackles that had been dragging me down for so long. I had sat with my emotions, even though they were uncomfortable, heavy and it hurt, a lot. I processed all my stuff and had a plan to move my life forward in a direction that I was fully in control of. You can read my blog for more details on that here.
If you’re a serving or retired police officer, fire service or ambulance service worker, talking to someone with experience and knowledge in your high pressured roles will make your therapeutic process far easier because that experienced counsellor has lived experience of going to the jobs that you go to, the pressure that you feel, the workload, the stress, the relentlessness of the flashbacks, the thoughts and the feelings that you carry around with you all day and all night. They are worth their weight in gold as you won't have to use your therapy time to explain what is meant by this role or that procedure or what happens and why at a certain job or scene, dealing with loss and death and exposure to trauma far more frequently, they just ‘get it’.
Imagine that immediate rapport, feeling completely relaxed and confident in your therapist's knowledge and ability. Trusting that they genuinely get you and their empathy is coming from a place of true understanding. Priceless.
