"My family complains that I have no time for them" 

"I work so hard, but I still got a low rating on my last appraisal" 

"I feel tired all the time" 

"My boyfriend broke up with me 2 weeks ago and I just can't stop crying" 

"I am unhappy at work; I think my manager doesn't like me" 

"I don't seem to be able to manage my teenage son" 

"My parents are forcing me to get married but I am not ready" 

"I feel guilty leaving my toddler and going to work" 

Counselling is intended to help you cope with the normal everyday challenges of living, work, relationships, etc., as mentioned above. A lot of people use counselling when they feel overwhelmed with a problem or find that a particular problem seems to persist. There are no hard and fast rules. Some people may not even have a problem but would like to improve or better themselves. In our experience, here are some of the issues that have frequently come up: 

 
Personal 

From something as common as overcoming shyness to more sensitive issues like overcoming habits of smoking, pornography, alcohol, etc., counselling can provide the space to help you deal with these issues. Loneliness, depression, and traumatic past experiences are also some more personal issues that you could discuss in counselling. You may not even have a problem but would like to improve your confidence, be more social or handle your anger, and a counsellor can help with that. 

Relationships 

All of us juggle relationships, be it friends, partners, parents, etc. Relationships are what keep us going and make life meaningful. Sometimes it can become difficult if we are dissatisfied or unhappy with them or if they exert too many demands on us. It can become stressful to manage. Counselling can help address the loss of significant relationships, family concerns, lack of assertiveness, and any other issue that is impacting the quality of your relationship. You can also use it to help to make your marriage more satisfying and fulfilling if you face frequent conflicts, unmet expectations, in-law concerns, infidelity, sexual difficulties, etc. As you can see, counselling covers a range of issues, from relatively minor ones to more major ones. 

Work 

We spend most of our waking days at work and therefore it forms a significant portion of our lives. The challenges and pressures at work can have an impact on our mood, performance, and even other areas of our lives. Improving relationships with the boss and colleagues, lack of motivation and concentration, career growth and performance concerns, work-life balance, stress, harassment, time management, fear of speaking in meetings, and handling shift work are some of the issues that you could discuss with a counsellor. 

Parenting 

Counselling can help one prepare for and meet the challenges of raising kids: childcare, discipline, and academic performance. Right from deciding to have a baby to rearing them through their terror some twos and troublesome threes to the dreaded teenage years; counsellors are here to offer support. Today's dual-career couples face distinct challenges when it comes to marriage and parenting. In addition, with changing trends, parents are facing new issues like the use of technology and the internet and its impact on children. Counselling can be helpful, especially if one is living away from relatives or the support is not easily accessible. 

There is no right or wrong reason to use counselling. This list is just intended to give you a general idea of the range of issues - it is not completely exhaustive. If something is troubling you, it can be worth spending some time thinking about why this may be happening and counselling is intended to give you a better idea of your situation. 

If you would like to discuss this further or need some help or support in this or any other area, our counsellors would be happy to help.