Almost every single person has been nervous before their first counselling appointment, sometimes before each session too. Knowing that you’re going to be spending a set amount of time talking about your problems is an intimidating thought. Nerves are a perfectly normal (and common) feeling.

Equally, our emotions can be complicated. Sometimes we don’t know how to regulate them; sometimes we bury them deep inside so we don’t feel anything; sometimes we struggle to identify emotions; sometimes we learn that showing any kind of emotion is a big no-no. Often, people try and hold their emotions together because they don’t want to appear weak or cry in a therapy session. However, displaying emotions and sometimes crying are a necessary part of the counselling process and may be a way to heal. A good counsellor will be able to hold you and your emotions without making it feel like a shameful act. 

Therapy can enable you to cry if you need to, feeling like a release or “letting go”, yet the aim isn’t for you to feel out of control or overwhelmed.