couple counselling
What the counselling process entails
Face-to-face counselling represents a major service in Marriage Care's support for marriage. The counselling relationship is like no other in that it is totally professional, at the same time attending to deeply personal and intimate issues. The tight boundaries serve to protect both the counsellor and the client, with confidentiality paramount.
An effective counsellor is a skilled and sensitive listener. Listening is the key to understanding what exactly has taken place and the effect it has had on the client. The counsellor's job is to help clients to explore how they would like things to be, and how to make their situation more manageable in the future. Usually this means helping clients to identify their strengths and weaknesses and to review their existing support systems. It may also involve helping them to set realistic goals in order to reach the desired outcome.
It is important that counsellors work in an environment which is supportive of the counselling process. Where possible, clients are seen in the same room throughout the agreed period of counselling to create a safe and secure space. Other boundary requirements include punctuality, if the client is late for an appointment, the counselling session will still end at the pre-arranged time. Sessions generally last a 'therapeutic' hour, which is fifty minutes.
