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I've been a counsellor for more than 17 years but latterly, over the course of the last seven years, I've specialised in Online Counselling. It's a relatively new form of counselling which can be remarkably effective. And, through dealing with young peoples' problems on a daily basis, I've learned that the internet can be very helpful in providing ongoing support and advice for people in a crisis.
Sometimes it can feel far easier to email a faceless, anonymous counselling service rather than to front up for a meeting in person. Some issues feel just too hard to discuss out loud with a stranger, whereas writing things down, at a bit of a distance, can help. It seems easier, often, to pour out your heart online....just as it would if you wrote someone a long letter.
But it is also surprisingly possible to get to know people online - so a counsellor can effectively put themselves in the other person's shoes, try to understand what they're feeling, and try to help them over whatever difficulties are messing up their lives.
Sometimes it's just good to have another perspective. Or it helps to realise how we're falling into patterns of behaviour...and learn how to break them. Sometimes we can learn to train our thoughts away from the negative ones we've been having and learn to see things in a different light. All of which can help us break out of our crisis and get on with our lives. And, of course, that's likely to be easier when there's someone like me, a trained counsellor, to hold your hand along the way.
And just to confirm - if you choose to email me through the Email Me section - you can rest assured that all correspondence will be totally private. The only emails which will eventually appear on this site are those where I've been given permission to publish. Sometimes people are prepared to let this happen if they feel their experience can benefit others and I'm very grateful for this. Some time in the future, we may operate a message board on this site which would provide a very public place for people to air their problems and share answers/solutions. Let me know if you think this could be a good idea.