Deciding to see a counsellor for whatever reasons isn't easy, it takes a lot of courage. It may take time to build a trusting and accepting relationship with the counsellor. As part of my journey, I saw a counsellor because I became aware that I wasn't coping as well as I thought. All thoughts raced through my mind; I was weak, I was opening myself up to feeling vulnerable, what would I talk about, would I like the counsellor, what would she think about me and my thoughts and so on, but nonetheless I found the courage to go. A good counsellor will not judge you, will accept you unconditionally and be empathic towards your problems. The counsellor is there not to advise you or solve your problems for you, as you are the only one who can do that for yourself. The counsellor acts as a facilitator/guide, actively listening to you, so they can respond emphatically towards you, you who is a fallible human being. However, remember that the counsellor is a fallible human being too who's not going to have a magic wand to make everything better for us, because the healing begins with us, inside us. The counsellor can give us the tools to help heal ourselves internally and externally, but we have to want to change the things that make us feel fearful and sad. We have to try and fight our fears, otherwise our fears will prevent us from growing and developing, hold us back from experiencing all the things that are waiting for us out there, and it's also the best way, feel the fear and do it anyway! Good luck. Mollie. X