Mental Health and Talking Therapies

Mental health is starting to be better understood and has moved away from being the taboo that it once was.  Whilst it is concerning that mental health issues, particularly among the younger generation, appear to be increasing – this is balanced by a greater willingness by those affected to seek help and talk about their issues with a therapist.

If you are looking for someone to talk to about issues you may be facing, there is a lot of choice available and it’s important you find the right person to aid you.  Let’s take a quick look at the two main types of talking therapy providers in the UK – counselling and life coaching and how you can access these services.

What’s a counsellor?

Counsellors (sometimes also called therapists) delivers talking therapies which may include:

  • Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) which focuses on the way people think and behave
  • Psychoanalytic therapies – looking at how past experiences affect the present
  • Humanistic therapies, with a focus on self-development and growth
  • Mindfulness
  • Group therapy

These methods are used to help individuals come to terms with problems or challenges they are facing. These might include specific mental health conditions, bereavement, bullying, relationship issues or trauma.

How do you access counselling/therapy?

  • The NHS offers free but often short-term talking therapy. Speak to your GP if you’d like to access the service and ask for a referral. NB there may be a waiting list.
  • Some charities offer low-cost therapy, you can contact them directly or your GP may know about specific ones nearby.
  • You can go to a counsellor privately. It costs more but you can choose who you see and how long you see them for.  It is crucial to research a private counsellor’s credentials prior to seeing them since the amount of training counsellors do can vary a lot.

So what is life coaching?

Whilst the techniques used in therapy and counselling often look into the past to find the cause of issues, life coaching  predominately focuses on the future.  Many individuals turn to life-coaching when they’re not sure what they want from the next phase in their life.  Some common triggers for searching out a life-coach include retirement, redundancy, facing a loss, starting a new business or pledging to lose weight – essentially events or decisions which leaves you feeling like you are at a crossroads in your life.

Life coaching can be a great way to help people unlock their potential and find a better way to move towards their goals.  It can help them to overcome obstacles along the way and create resilience.

A life coach won’t tell you what to do, but they will provide an objective and empowering environment to help you achieve your goals.

Many clients find that life-coaching can be a more flexible kind of therapy, and appointments can be made as and when required rather than having a regular allotted time.

How can you access life coaching?

  • You’ll find a range of free podcasts and blogs by life coaches online
  • if you want a one-on-one session with a life coach tailored to your goals, it will be necessary to pay for it privately. Life coaching is currently an unregulated profession in the UK, so it’s essential to research any provider prior to seeing them.

The Arch Clinic offers a life-coaching service with a highly qualified practitioner who has spent the last 25 years “getting the best out of great people”.  Our coach has qualifications in Cognitive Hypnotherapy and is also a Neuro Linguistic Programming Master Practitioner – they are a member of the NCH, CNHC and QCHPA governing bodies and are bound by their code of ethics and conduct.  We offer a free phone consultation with our life coach with absolutely no obligation.

If you’re struggling with your mental health or need further support, your GP should be your first port of call.  We also recommend having a look at mind.org.uk if you would like to understand any mental health issues in more detail.  Their site also contains lots of guidance on how you can help either your own mental health, or that of someone you know.