Counselling & Support

WHAT IS COUNSELLING?

When we have problems it can be difficult to talk to our friends and family about it; it can be awkward, embarrassing and upsetting – something that we obviously want to avoid.

That is where we come in. Our counsellors are there to offer a safe, judgement free environment where you can speak about your problems without fear of causing upset.

Counselling sessions are done on a 1-1 basis and are completely confidential – unless we believe you are in danger we will not tell anyone what you speak about during counselling without your permission. Whilst the counsellor may advise you to talk to friends or family, the decision is completely yours.

Counsellors are there to help you explore your issues and offer guidance and encouragement to find a solution that works for you and allows you to move on with your life.

 

WHO NEEDS COUNSELLING?

The simple answer is anyone.

People come to counselling for all sorts of reasons – stress and anxiety, panic attacks, relationship difficulties, abuse, low self-esteem, living with illness or disability, loss, addictions or simply feeling unhappy.

These feelings can be due to something that has been going on in your life for a long time or from something new that we don’t know how to deal with.

In these moments we can find that how we normally cope with issues is no longer enough and we become unsure how to move forward. When this happens it can be helpful to have someone to talk to; to talk about your problems and have them listen to what you have to say.

Counselling is Not just for those with a mental illness or ‘crazy people’; everyone can benefit from counselling at any point in their lives.

 

HOW DOES COUNSELLING WORK?

It can be a scary thing to come and talk to a stranger for the first time; don’t worry, everyone has the exact same worries. Our counsellors are used to people being nervous and worried that they will be seen as ‘weird’ – trust us, you won’t; our counsellors have seen it all and know about many of the ways things can go wrong in a person’s life. However, we understand that your life and experiences are unique and we respect that and will work with you to find the solution that is perfect for you.

The first time you meet with a counsellor will be important; you will just have a chat about your life, your feelings and what brought you to us. Don’t worry about having to tell us everything all at once, you only have to tell us what you are comfortable with and you control the pace of the discussion.

If you are happy with how counselling works at Soul Soup ( we hope that you would be), you can continue to come for a session on a regular basis where your counsellor will help you to make sense of events and feelings you have experienced.

Each session lasts roughly 50 minutes and everything said is confidential.

 

HOW DO I ASK TO SEE A COUNSELLOR?

If you believe you would benefit from counselling you can make a request through your Support Worker/Youth Leader/Doctor or other agency. You can also come along to one of our Drop-In sessions and speak to one of our Support Workers.

You will be asked to indicate the best way to contact you to arrange an appointment. You will then be contacted discreetly by a member of the counselling team to arrange the first session.

Support

At Soul Soup we offer Support Workers for those times you feel you may need help with issues but  that you dont feel you need Counselling 

Our trained Support Workers are there to offer support and listen to you.  They can sign or post you to other services who may be able to meet your needs more appropriately.

Our support workers also run group activity sessions where groups of people can come together. These sessions can include indoor or outdoor activities, fun, games, trips away and Learning activities such as confidence building. Our creative therapist– uses various kinds of art, music, drama or games to help you explore your feelings.

A support worker will also be available during our drop in times if you would like to have a discreet chat about the services offered at Soul Soup.