Counselling
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Who Can Benefit from Counselling?
Counselling is for normal people of all ages who have the wisdom to seek help when feeling overwhelmed by tough situations, or finding it hard to make important decisions. As the counsellor, Margaret will walk alongside you and help you to work through your difficult issues. In doing so, she will also encourage you to think more laterally, help you to find the underlying causes for your problems, and facilitate increased awareness. And most importantly, she will help you to find suitable strategies to achieve your desired outcomes, and empower you to make choices in order to reach your own goals.
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PERSONAL Personal Difficulties Interpersonal Issues Grief and Loss Depression Mentoring & Life Coaching |
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RELATIONSHIPS Pre-Marital Counselling Relationship Counselling Family Therapy Private Mediation |
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PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT Attitude Adjustment Self-Image Repair Assertiveness Training Communication Enhancement General Relationship Training |
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WORK AND STAFF Personal Work Related Issues Staff Communication Issues Individual Staff Mentoring Mediation - Individuals or Groups |
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CHRISTIAN COUNSELLING Individual Problems Interpersonal Issues Relationship Issues Doctrinal Enquiries |
Help for Depression
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For those of you suffering from depression, you may like to do a depression self-test on http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression/MH00103_D or check out the following site: http://www.beyondblue.org.au. If you have suicidal thoughts, PLEASE GO RIGHT NOW TO http://www.metanoia.org/suicide/ |
**CLICK HERE to read the full article about depression and what you can do to help.
Qualities of a Good Counsellor
A good counsellor is genuine, truthful, warm, open and friendly. S/he is concerned for you as a unique individual and has an unconditional, positive regard for you. Empathy, acceptance and a non-judgmental attitude are just as important as the ability to remain impartial. A good counsellor also has highly developed active listening skills and the ability to easily form meaningful relationships with all types of clients.
Counselling Methodologies
There are many different counselling styles in use today. Margaret does NOT practice psychoanalysis, psychotherapy or humanistic/existentialist models but instead uses cognitive behaviour therapy (Rom.12:2), systems theory, and a wholistic style of counselling. She believes that looking at a problem from all angles is more productive than focusing exclusively on one particular aspect. Therefore she is able to provide assessments concerning all four dimensions of the human realm (feelings, thought processes, behaviour and social context) and can incorporate a variety of approaches to adapt the counselling process to individual client needs:
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Christian Counselling vs. Secular Counselling
The word "counselling" can have multiple meanings, including offering advice and encouragement, sharing wisdom and skills, setting goals and resolving conflict. As a general rule, both Christian and secular counsellors share the same desire to help people overcome their problems, find meaning and joy in life, and become healthy and well-adjusted individuals, both mentally and emotionally.
Christian counselling is distinct from secular counselling in that it rises to another dimension. The International Association of Biblical Counselors puts it this way, "In contrast to psychologically-integrated systems, Biblical counseling seeks to carefully discover those areas in which a Christian may be disobedient to the principles and commands of Scripture and to help him learn how to lovingly submit to God's will."
Christian counsellors are able to do just that because they have an absolute standard by which to measure their objectives and evaluate their counsellee's lifestyle. They see the Bible as the source of all truth. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." The secular counsellor has no such standard and instead uses the latest psychological findings or societal norm, both of which change with the winds of time. Therefore, a secular counsellor has no absolutes with which to judge morals and the choices people make.
Christian counsellors understand that the Bible has a lot of practical wisdom about human nature, marriage and family, human suffering, and so much more. By using biblical concepts in counselling, they can instruct people in the way they should go and also hold them accountable. Psalm 119:24 says, "Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors."
Although Christian counsellors often use skills from the field of secular psychology and counselling, they recognise that the Bible, not psychology, is the final authority. "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness (2 Peter 1:3). A Christian counsellor's major strategy is therefore to help their clients substitute biblical truth for error as they go about their day-to-day lives. They know that the truth, when known, believed and obeyed, sets people free. When people are set free, they are fulfilling their true calling. "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).
Christian Counselling - A Personal Story
"We have been married for 25 years and are blessed with four children. Our family life has been quite happy, but that doesn't mean we haven't needed a bit of 'marital realignment' from time to time. Our Christian counsellor has provided a wealth of wisdom and sound judgment to make our marriage sparkle again, and the relationship tools we have picked up are serving us well as we continue to face life's challenges together."
"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).
Read my article about the principal compatibility of counselling and Christianity on the For Christians page. It's called Christianity and Counselling.
Counselling Contracts
This is a mutual agreement negotiated between the Counsellor and the Client prior to the commencement of counselling. It articulates the responsibilities of the Counsellor towards the Client, and also the Client's responsibilities in the counselling relationship. Below is a guide of a typical counselling contract, but this will vary according to the Client's needs. The following is an example of what I have used in my own work:
As a professional counsellor, I will walk alongside you and assist you to explore your world with the aim of resolving difficult issues in your life. I believe that people are capable of finding happiness and contentment as they become more aware of the underlying causes of their problems and pursue suitable strategies for dealing with their difficulties.
As the client, you need to be aware of the fact that awareness and change may take some time to achieve. Whilst some clients need only a few sessions to reach their goals, others may require many more. It is therefore impossible to guarantee specific goal-related results within a particular timeframe. You are in complete control of this process and may therefore end the counselling relationship at any point you wish.
As we work together, our sessions may become very intimate and therefore it is important for you to realise that we have a professional, rather than a personal, relationship. A strictly professional relationship will allow us to concentrate exclusively on your concerns.
As your counsellor, I will keep confidential anything you say to me, with the following general exceptions: You direct me to tell someone else; you reveal to me that you or someone else is in danger; I determine that you are in danger to yourself or others; I am ordered by a court to disclose information.
My counselling services are of necessity limited to the scheduled sessions we have together. If you feel at any time that you are approaching an emotional crisis and are unable to make an immediate appointment to see me, you may contact a Lifeline Telephone Counsellor on 13 11 14, or seek help at the emergency department of your nearest local hospital and request mental health services.
Workshops
Margaret has facilitated many workshops for business clients, community organisations, churches and community college.
She now offers the following workshops from a Christian perspective and in the context of Christian ministry:
How to be happy - and stay that way!
Does your self-image need a health check?
Boost your attitude adjustment skills
Bomb-proof your relationships to make them last
How to deal with difficult people without losing the plot
Negotiate to your benefit and let the other person win
Margaret also offers workshops that are specifically designed for Christians.
Find out more about them on the Speaker page.
Margaret's Counselling Qualifications and Experience
Margaret has been counselling and helping others for the past 20 years. She holds a degree in Social Science with Honours, majoring in Counselling & Mediation as well as Human Relations & Communication. She has also done research with counselling students 
from Southern Cross University and is in the process of publishing her book Counsellor Training: What's in it for the student? Margaret also holds the Certificate IV in Workplace Training, OHS Consultation Statement, an additional Diploma in Professional Counselling, further training in Human Resource Development, and a Master of Adult Education. Her expertise therefore reaches beyond counselling & mediation to include human relations & communication issues, mentoring, personal coaching, human resource development and adult education. She has also undertaken studies in specialised areas such as domestic violence, suicide prevention, brain injuries and mental illness.
Margaret was accredited for Counselling by the ATMS and adheres to their Code of Ethics and Practice Standards.
Due to her additional training in theology and pastoral care, Margaret also provides Christian Counselling, but only to those who are Christians themselves or have an interest in this area. You can read more about this on the For Christians page.
Note:
Please refer to DISCLAIMER and COPYRIGHT Statements.
You can be the finest apple in the whole wide world - ripe, juicy, sweet, succulent - and offer yourself to all. But...
change quite considerably, but you must be warned that if you do choose to become a banana, you will always be a second-rate banana because that is not what you were made for.
