Welcome to
Elaine Bond Counselling

 

Elaine Bond is a psychotherapeutic counsellor based in Carlton, Nottingham, close to all public transport. A dedicated, quiet, safe area is available to work together on whatever you want to.

 

Let's face it, life often throws us a curveball, something painful, unexpected, frightening or even devastating. We all have coping strategies and sometimes they can be unhealthy ones. What happens when they don't work, or they become too destructive or unmanageable? We can feel pain, fear, anxiety or depression and if we ‘carry on regardless’ we can feel worse and our mental health suffers. So, often we increase our coping strategies, we hurt ourselves or others and we feel life is out of control. If we still ignore our needs, we head towards dangerous territory and we find ourselves in crisis.

Counselling or therapy helps us unpick those coping strategies, look at why the issues started, how to resolve the issues and then find better-coping strategies.

But counselling often brings us much more than including;

• Much better self-awareness,
• Increased acceptance of ourselves and others
• Self-management, and ability to control destructive urges
• A realisation of the importance of self-care and how to do this what this looks like
• Improved and changed relationships with others
• A better understanding of the actions and motivations of others

Counselling can bring us to a better way of being in the world and a greater connection with it.

It can be long term or short term, dealing with one specific issue or a journey of personal development.

Psychotherapy works on many levels by helping us to understand our emotions and actions. It often looks at past issues and their impact on the present by using creative ways to access hidden emotions and issues. It then empowers us to make the changes we need to make in order to feel better. 

Counselling helps to change behaviour and gain an understanding of our feelings by empowering us to find our own solutions.

Once we have chosen our therapist, our first session usually starts with some small talk to make us feel comfortable and settled in this new situation. Then the sessions look at what we want to achieve, how we will work with the therapist, confidentiality and developing a contract of when we will meet, how often etc.   But then again, if our need to let out our emotions is overwhelming us; a good therapist will let that happen above all else of the above.

There are many theories and practices out there and as clients, we need to find one that suits us, we also need to be comfortable with the therapist we chose, don’t be afraid to try more than one!

Do you need help right now?

The Samaritans are available 24/7. Call 116 123 or for more information on their services click on their website - https://www.samaritans.org/

Childline is available 24/7 for children and young people aged up to 19. Call 0800 11 11 or check out their website - https://www.childline.org.uk/

MIND provides a lot of information and support for people with mental health issues https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/

The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is leading a movement against male suicide. Call 0800 58 58 58 or https://www.thecalmzone.net/

Mermaids help parents and young people around transgender https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/