Frequently Asked Questions
What is Counselling?
Counselling offers you a safe, confidential place to talk about your life and anything that may be confusing, painful or uncomfortable. It allows you to talk with someone who is trained to listen attentively and to help you improve things. A counsellor will not tell you what to do or judge you, but always try to understand things from your point of view, and support you to find your own answers.
Counselling or Psychotherapy
When people call us they often ask us “what the difference is between a Counsellor and a Psychotherapist?” Often the words are used interchangeably, in general a Psychotherapist has had a longer and more in depth training and would be considered to work at greater depth with clients. However, many Psychotherapists would consider themselves to provide counselling and many counsellors would say that they work with the complexity of issues that a psychotherapist works with.
What is important is that you feel safe and comfortable with your counsellor or psychotherapist and are able to form a relationship with them where you can explore the issues you wish to look at.
Different Kinds of Practitioners Working at Birmingham Counselling services
We have a variety of Practitioners working with us in addition to Counsellors, Psychotherapists including: Life Coaches, Hypnotherapists and Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners
Life Coaching – A Life coach is a professional who helps you reach your goal and make a change in your life. They work with you to identify the changes you want to make and to take action and carry out the steps that you need to. They will help you to find your motivation, plan potential actions and keep you accountable for reaching your goals and making positive changes. They tend to be future focused and focus on the solution rather than the problem.
Hypnotherapy is guided hypnosis, or a trance-like state of focus and concentration achieved with the help of a clinical hypnotherapist. This trance-like state is similar to being completely absorbed in a book, movie, music, or even one’s own thoughts or meditations. In this state, clients can turn their attention completely inward to find and utilize the natural resources deep within themselves that can help them make changes or regain control in certain areas of their life. Hypnotherapy can be used to treat issues such as: anxiety and phobias and addictions such as smoking.
Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner – provides low intensity cognitive behavioural-based interventions for people experiencing mild to moderate anxiety and/or depression. Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners work with people to equip them with the tools and techniques they need to manage anxiety and depression effectively and work towards their goals. Their aim is to help people make positive changes to improve their wellbeing and quality of life. Generally this work is short term.
Is counselling therapy an instant cure?
It normally takes a few sessions for you to become aware of changes and improvements in your life. Sometimes counselling and therapy can initially be quite difficult but rest assured that with our qualified team you will always be in a safe place at the end of your session.
Does counselling and therapy work?
Different people will get different results from their therapy experience. Recent studies from the International Centre For Clinical Excellence showed that 80% of clients in Counselling and Therapy end up better off than those who didn’t seek help.
How much does it cost?
- Most of our counsellors charge between £35 and £55 a session. Prices vary depending on individual counsellors.
- Counselling for Couples Costs between £50-£85 a session.
- For Family Therapy please enquire.
We do not provide free counselling but some of our team provide discounted or donation based sessions for those who are unwaged or facing financial hardship.
Your doctor may be able to access free counselling on your behalf if this is what you require.
How long is a counselling sessions & how many sessions will I need?
Generally a counselling session is 50 minuites long. However, this can vary and your therapist will explain the length of the session when you speak.
The number of sessions you will need is very dependent on the issue you want to work on and what you want to achieve. You may only need a couple of sessions or you may wish to have longer term support.
Do you offer online or telephone counselling?
We do offer online and telephone counselling. Please follow this link for further information.
What kinds of Counselling do you offer?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a well known Counselling Approach. It explores how your thoughts affect your feelings and influences your behaviour. CBT helps you to notice problematic thinking styles or behaviour patterns so that you can feel better. CBT uses a various strategies to help you make those changes in the here and now.
Solution Focussed Brief Therapy
This kind of counselling works quickly to help you find solutions to your problems. It helps you to discover what strengths you already have and how you can use these to make changes. It is an approach that doesn’t focus a great deal on your problems but more finding strategies to help you cope.
Integrative Approach
This approach to counselling uses lots of different approaches to help you explore your difficulties and find ways forward. Often this approach will allow the counselling to be tailored to the client and what they need.
Person Centred Approach
Person Centred Counselling offers a space for clients to explore their difficulties and discover their own solutions. This kind of counselling is very much let by the client, and is non-directive.
Psychodynamic Approach
This approach to counselling will explore your difficulties and how they might relate to and be triggered by experiences from your past. Through this understanding your current difficulties can be resolved.
Gestalt Approach
The Gestalt approach focuses on how your issues impact on you in the present. It invites your to explore your experiences/issues and experiment with understanding and experiencing them in a different way.
Transactional Analysis (TA)
Transactional analysis is a talking therapy, it helps to explain in simple terms why we think, feel and behave in the way we do. In sessions you may explore your personality and how this has been shaped by experience. It can help you to understand how you relate to yourself and others and how you can make changes to enhance your relationships with others and yourself.
Where are you located?
We are located at:
The Zellig Building
First Floor
Devonshire House
Gibb Street, Custard Factory
Birmingham
B9 4AA
Branston Court
Branston Street
Jewellery Quarter
B18 6BA
Our telephone number is 0121 314 9903 and we can answer your calls Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm.
We have over 50 counsellors available over 7 days a week at both locations, running sessions from as early as 7am to as late as 8pm.
Full directions and public transport details can be downloaded here.
How does your service work?
Birmingham Counselling Services aims to facilitate the provision of a high quality counselling service in Birmingham. We act as a hub to refer clients to independent private practice counsellors who hire a space in our centre.
In order to assure this quality Birmingham Counselling Services confirm the following information from their counsellors;
· Qualifications
· Membership of Professional Body
· Personal, Professional Liability Insurance.
· A recent DBS Certificate (within the last 2 years)
Once you have been allocated to a counsellor and your counsellor has contacted you, your counsellor will be responsible for the work you do together. At your first session your counsellor will present a contract/agreement with you. This will concern things including confidentiality, what you need to do if you want to cancel a session, fees etc. It will also include who you should contact if you wish to make a complaint. We encourage you to speak to your counsellor first if things aren’t working out. All of our counsellors belong to a professional body and if you feel that you need or want to complain you can do so to their professional body.
Quick Location Summary
We are located in the ‘Zellig Building’ (also known as ‘Devonshire House’) of the Custard Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham – a complex of offices within one of the former buildings of the former Bird’s Custard Factory. Birmingham Counselling Services is located just off the B4100 Digbeth High Street in the centre of Birmingham, roughly an 8-10 minute walk from Birmingham New Street Railway Station and Birmingham’s Digbeth Coach Station – with car parking space nearby.
Our Branston Court location is approximately a minute walk from the Jewellery Quarter Train and Metro Station and right across from the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter. There is paid street parking as well as several car parks in the area.
