Question 1

What kinds of issues can counselling help with?

Accepted Answer

Counselling can help with most issues relating to your mental health and wellbeing. In my counselling practice in Melba, Canberra, the focus is on wellbeing and assisting clients in navigating their personal challenges, such as coping with life changes, confidence and identity issues, recovering from a difficult relationship, meeting major life changes, and emotional struggles in everyday living.

I offered an in-person counselling sessions at my Counselling Practice in Melba, to help you see situations more clearly, develop effective coping strategies, encourage a deeper self-awareness, enhance resilience, and increase your confidence in making life choices.

Question 2

What can I expect in a counselling session?

Accepted Answer

The sessions I offer consist of talk therapy, which is like having a casual yet meaningful conversation with someone who really listens to you.

Our discussions together blend mindfulness with open dialogue, without judgement, helping you to freely explore your feelings about a situation, and uncover ways you can reclaim a sense of authority over that area of your life.

Question 3

How long is a counselling session?

Accepted Answer

Session lengths vary depending on the service you choose, with me, you get the full session time as counselling, which means a one hour session is 60 minutes of counselling time. I also offer a 30 minute ‘Try It’ Session for new clients, so you can test the waters and see if we’re a good fit before committing to the process.

For clients who want to go deeper into something significant to them, I also offer the option of a 90 minute counselling session. These sessions are time-savers in the sense that by exploring an area more deeply within one session, we actually need to spend less time on it than when it’s stretched out over shorter sessions, where several recaps might be needed.

Here is a summary of the professional counselling session options offered at my Counselling Practice:
 • Meet & Greet: A 10 minute free phone call for new clients enquiring about counselling
 • Try It: A 30 minute paid session to see if the style of counselling I offer is right for you
 • In-Person Session: 60 minute paid session, to discuss, explore, and work through your concerns
 • Extended In-Person Session: 90 minute paid session, to deep dive into working on a specific area of concern

You can select the session type and book a time here.

Question 4

Do you offer online video or phone sessions?

Accepted Answer

For new clients, we start with only offer in-person counselling sessions.

Once we established a client/counsellor relationship, my clients will then have access to video and phone sessions upon request.

Question 5

How does counselling help?

Accepted Answer

From time to time, the winds of change come whooshing through our life, and now and again we get knocked over. Counselling helps us get back up again, it empowers us with a fresh outlook and a new set of skills to face life’s challenges with. Everyone gets the wind knocked out of them once in a while, and being able to talk through your concerns gives you the chance to be supported as you recover and learn how to trust yourself to breathe deeply again.

What’s most helpful about counselling is the fresh perspective you get to view your situation from, as well as having someone walk through it with you who only has your best interests to consider. That’s what makes counselling so helpful, having support without judgement, so you can step through those vulnerable feelings safely and discover things about yourself that surprise and delight you.

Question 6

How often should I have counselling sessions?

Accepted Answer

Deciding how often, and how many counselling sessions to have is a personal choice. Much of it depends on the urgency of your concerns, the time we have available, and what your budget permits. Initially, it’s ideal to start with 3 to 5 weekly sessions, followed by a review to discuss how you are feeling about the process and progress. This is often followed up with 2 to 4 fortnightly sessions, at which time you may feel ready to go ahead without counselling, or may decide to continue counselling with monthly sessions. Many clients regularly step into and out of counselling depending on how well they’re coping with whatever is going on in their life.

Please note that what works for you as an individual is best discussed with me as your counsellor. The rule of thumb I share with my clients, is if you are not looking forward to the session, or have no idea what to say when you get there, it might be worth considering if continuing with the counselling right now is right for you.

Question 7

How many sessions does it take to feel better?

Accepted Answer

It’s important to understand that counselling is a process, and it does take time. Resolving personal issues is rarely done in just a couple of hours, so it’s important to allow yourself the time you need to learn, process, and evolve toward healing.

Successful counselling requires a special kind of bond that holds the trust between the client and the counsellor, and this takes time to build. With that in mind, for many people feeling like they’re in the muck of it, it is reasonable to expect to see initial results and long-term sustainable progress within 4-6 sessions, depending on the complexity and depth of the issues you are working through.

That said, at the end of your first session, and in fact most sessions, you ought to come away feeling a little lighter, somewhat hopeful, and looking forward to working with the counsellor you have chosen to work with. If this has not been the case for you, perhaps consider seeking an alternative counsellor until you have found the one you feel good about working with.

Question 8

Are my counselling sessions confidential?

Accepted Answer

The short answer is YES, counselling sessions are confidential and your information and the details of what you discussed cannot be shared without your permission, with exception to a couple of important circumstances, which as your counsellor, I will advise you about in our first session.

Question 9

How do I choose the right counsellor?

Accepted Answer

When seeking a counsellor, think about what you’d like to get out of counselling, and the type of person you feel most comfortable with.  Asking yourself the following questions can help you decide what’s the right fit for you… Do you have a preference for female or male? What values and personal qualities are most important? Would you prefer a structured or more flexible approach?

It's always good to request an initial chat, so you can get a sense of whether that counsellor might be a good fit with you, so you can decide whether or not you feel comfortable enough with them to step through the vulnerability of counselling.

A counsellor who is a good fit for you makes all the difference as you step through your own process, so it really is worth investing the time to find the right match. If counselling is new to you, or you’re not quite sure, please feel welcome to request a free 10 minute chat with me, or book a 30 minute ‘Try It’ Session. Sometimes the best way to find out, is to ask!

Question 10

Are there different types of therapy?

Accepted Answer

Yes, there are many different types of therapy. The therapy approach I work with is a blend of Narrative Therapy, which explores the versions of the stories we tell ourselves, Existential Therapy, which explores our ideas around meaningful purpose and personal responsibility, and Person-Centred Therapy, which focuses on our ability to grow and heal.

In my counselling practice, I often combine these therapeutic approaches with Creative Therapy style activities to help clients ground and integrate what they discover and uncover through our sessions together.

Question 11

What’s the difference between a counselling and psychology?

Accepted Answer

Counselling and psychology get frequently mistaken for one another because they both have the shared goal of improving mental health and general wellbeing. Although similar in some ways, such as utilising similar therapeutic techniques to enhance quality of life for clients, they are each very different. In short, counselling is an excellent option for working through the day to day life issues that have tripped us over and help is needed in getting back up and on with life again. Psychology is most helpful when working through deeper or more complex issues, such as those that impact a person’s ability to function in day-to-day environments.

Counselling is a therapeutic method that helps in overcoming and releasing unwanted emotions and routine behavioural habits. The main aim of counselling is to empower the client to recognise and uncover personal concerns, and receive help in adapting their habits and thinking to regain a sense of flow in their regular everyday routines. Counselling is solutions-focused and can be most effective for building and developing the life skills required for emotional regulation, problem solving, and self-awareness. If your concerns are related to day-to-day habits, or addressing unwanted emotions or behaviours, a counsellor may offer the right support for you.

Psychology is known as cognitive treatment, and is a strategic style of therapy that assists people with complex, difficult, distorted, or challenging behavioural patterns, that are impacting on a person’s ability to socially function. Psychotherapy can be very effective for developing long term coping strategies for more complex conditions such as depression, addiction, anxiety and personality disorders, trauma, abuse, and phobias. If your concerns are complex, a psychologist may offer the right support for you.

Question 12

Do I need a referral from my GP to access counselling?

Accepted Answer

No, a referral is not necessary to access counselling services I provide. You can simply make an appointment with me directly at a time that suits you.

Question 13

Can I claim the cost of counselling sessions through Medicare or my Health Insurance?

Accepted Answer

No, as a counsellor who works with private clients only, the sessions through my counselling practice cannot be claimed through Medicare or Health Insurance. The process of counselling requires commitment, and in my experience those who commit financially, as well as emotionally, to the process tend to receive the best results. What you spend on counselling, when you’re working with the right counsellor, is an investment in yourself that will give you great returns on what you’ve invested.

Laura Apolo Counselling

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