There isn’t always one clear reason for seeking counselling. Sometimes something specific has happened. At other times, you may have a growing sense that things aren’t quite right, or that everyday life is becoming harder to manage.

You might be experiencing anxiety, stress, low mood, or difficulties in your relationships. You might be dealing with grief, a significant life change, or feelings that are difficult to put into words. Whatever brings you to consider counselling, you don’t need to be in crisis or have everything worked out before asking for support.

What can counselling help with?

Counselling offers an opportunity to talk with someone who is there to listen, understand, and help you explore what’s happening in your life.

In a safe, supportive and non-judgemental space, you and your counsellor can work together to start making sense of your thoughts and feelings. You will look at experiences that may be affecting you and consider different ways of responding to challenges.

Counselling can also help some people develop new coping skills or manage difficult emotions. For other people, counselling may involve exploring patterns in relationships, building confidence, or gaining a clearer understanding of themselves.

There isn’t one set outcome or approach. The process is shaped around your individual experiences, needs, and circumstances.

Finding the right kind of support

Counselling isn’t the same for everyone. Different therapeutic approaches can offer different ways of exploring thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

At Marches Counselling Service, our counsellors work with a range of approaches, including but not limited to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), integrative and humanistic therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, art psychotherapy, and mindfulness-based approaches. Visit our How We Help page to learn more. 

Making counselling more accessible

For many people, the cost of counselling can be a significant barrier to getting support. Marches Counselling Service is a not-for-profit charity established to make professional counselling and psychotherapy more accessible to people across Herefordshire and the surrounding area.

Session contributions are considered in relation to individual circumstances. Those who are able to pay the full fee are asked to do so, while subsidised counselling is available to help people on lower incomes access support.

The aim is to make sure that financial circumstances don’t automatically prevent someone from exploring the possibility of counselling.

We also want the format of your counselling sessions to be the right fit for you, which is why we offer sessions in a variety of formats, including one-to-one counselling, couples counselling, group therapy, and remote appointments by phone or video.

Taking the first step

Deciding to contact a counselling service can feel daunting, particularly if you’ve never had counselling before. You don’t need to know exactly what to say or be able to explain everything straight away.

The first step at Marches Counselling Service is to complete a Request for Counselling form or contact our team directly. An initial assessment will then be arranged. The assessment will give you an opportunity to talk about what’s been happening in your life and consider what kind of support might be helpful. Following an initial assessment, clients are then matched with a counsellor and therapeutic approach suited to their needs and circumstances.

Appointments are available face-to-face in Hereford, Bromyard, and Ross-on-Wye, as well as online for those who find it difficult to travel.

Get in Touch Today

If you’ve been thinking about counselling, you don’t have to wait until things become unmanageable to explore your options. Sometimes having a space to talk things through can be a helpful place to start.