My Journey into Counselling

Everyone has a story about how they got into counselling. This is mine.

I grew up in Plymouth and I didn’t come from a privileged background. School was difficult for me because I am dyslexic. Back then, dyslexia wasn’t really understood or recognised, so I struggled without knowing why.

When I was 26, I went to see a counsellor myself. I found it really helpful, and that was the start of my journey into counselling and mental health.

I have worked in mental health since 2009.

I started working in a residential care home and then moved into working with people who were experiencing acute mental health difficulties in their own homes. I still do some of this work part-time today.

Over the years, I have worked with lots of different people and have seen many different sides of mental health. I have worked with people experiencing different mental health conditions, people who have experienced abuse and trauma, and I have also worked closely with carers.

A big part of my journey also came from my own children.

I have two boys with ADHD, Autism and Tourette’s. When they were younger, these things weren’t always recognised or understood. I wanted to understand them better and, more importantly, I wanted to know how I could help them. That led me to leave my job and move into a role where I could learn more and gain experience.

I stayed there for 17 years.

During that time, I learned a lot. Not just from training and qualifications, but from the people I worked with. Everyone is different, and everyone has their own story.

You don’t have to know where to start

When someone comes to see me for the first time, they often say:

“I don’t know where to start.”

And I tell them:

“You don’t have to.”

You don’t need to come to counselling knowing exactly what is wrong or what you want to talk about.

You might come because you’re stressed, angry, overwhelmed or just not feeling like yourself.

Sometimes, as we talk, we find that there is more underneath it.

Stress might be connected to something that happened when you were younger. Anger might be connected to past experiences or things that have happened in your life. Sometimes you don’t even know what is causing the way you feel.

That’s okay.

We can work through it together, at your pace.

I’m just me

Something clients have said to me over the years is that I’m “real”.

I’ve asked them what they mean by that, and they have said things like:

“You’re not clinical.”

“You haven’t got a posh voice.”

“You don’t turn up in posh clothes.”

And it makes me laugh because they’re right, I am just me.

I’m not going to sit there and talk to you in words you don’t understand. I’m not going to judge you, and I’m not going to tell you how you should feel.

I have a lot of experience, but I’m also a person who has had my own struggles and experiences in life.

I believe that sometimes people just need someone who will genuinely listen to them.

Someone who will give them the time and space to talk.

Someone who won’t judge them.

That’s what I want to offer through Fitzgerald’s Counselling.

You don’t have to have everything worked out before you come through the door.

You don’t even have to know what you want to say.

Just come as you are, we’ll start from there.