Do I need counselling?
Honest Answers from Experienced UK Counsellors
Written by James at Peace and Minds
If you’re searching for counselling in the UK, you’re not alone. Thousands of people every day quietly search online for “online counselling UK”, “telephone counselling UK”, or “do I need counselling?” — often long before they speak to anyone about how they’re feeling… it can be isolating and simply looking it up can feel overwhelming.
In this blog, I want to address some of the biggest concerns people ask Google before accessing more information on mental health or even seeking mental health services. It can be a spectrum, of “is my problem too big” or “is this too small or insignificant” for counselling? Is anything even wrong at all? At Peace and Minds, I believe counselling ultimately should and can be a canvas on a pedestal, inside of a safe and non-judgemental environment, on which you can control the journey of the picture being painted, one step at a time.
At Peace and Minds Counselling, we provide professional online and telephone counselling across the UK, alongside limited face-to-face sessions. Our work is grounded not only in professional training, but also in lived experience. Sharing with you, as the writer of this blog, I really understand how difficult life can feel, thinking back to many a previous difficult period in my life — and many of us at Peace and Minds have been there too. Whether accessing counselling services personally during our personal times of crises and struggles in finding ways of keeping afloat in a chaotic sea of expectations and problems — we get it.
Finding ways to get the firmness of grip we’d be happy with can be a real challenge, even the hardest, and in many ways, I do wonder, does it ever truly end or are problems continually coming at us? Do we hope to just get better at coping, managing and dare I say, looking forward or are there tools and skills, personal reflections and ways of treating ourselves that make our chances of success higher and more longer term?
I do know, though, that for me, talking was a missing key in my personal journey and until I realised, even accepted to myself, that sharing with a professional stranger might help and offer me a way forwards hadn’t yet presented itself, without feeling like a burden to me and those in my personal life. Counselling isn’t something that I would say anyone or everyone needs, and there are people who feel outright that it is not for them. If you are or have been wondering whether counselling is right for you, it could be worth reaching out to a counsellor and finding out more about what you might expect.
How Do I Know If I Need Counselling?
It may not be a surprise to know that this is one of the most common searches related to mental health support and is a common query as counselling can be a broad and vague field, and some people can still feel uneasy or a bit taboo talking about it. It’s both a big question and feels like a concrete-decision to make, as it involves sharing private and sensitive aspects of one’s life. But there is no checklist you need to pass. Y
To start with, counselling is not only for those in crisis, have a diagnosis, and a person shouldn’t have to feel “bad enough” to seek counselling. In fact, many people who benefit from counselling might say that they were already functioning well externally but they were struggling internally. Equally, there are many people who find themselves in a uniquely demanding and highly-stressful period of life without an out-let, and having a professional and ethical talk can be of great use when needing to lighten heavily weighing experiences.
You may benefit from counselling if:
You feel anxious, low, overwhelmed, or emotionally drained
Your thoughts often feel negative, repetitive or hard to manage
You feel stuck or unsure about yourself or your life direction
You’re coping, but it feels exhausting
You’ve experienced a loss, change, or difficult experience that produces blockage
From our experience working with clients across the UK, people often wait far longer than they need to. If you’re asking yourself whether counselling could help, that question itself is often meaningful.
What Issues Can Counselling Help With?
In many ways. counselling can be a great tool for anyone, at any point in their life. Professional counselling can support a wide range of mental health and emotional wellbeing concerns as well as provide insight on life trajectory, decisions, offer you reflections on actions and experience, as well as provide a trusting and open space for considerations and discussion.
Counselling can particularly help with:
Anxiety, panic attacks, and chronic worry
Depression and persistent low mood
Stress, burnout, and work-related pressure
Relationship difficulties and communication issues
Bereavement, grief, and loss
Trauma and unresolved past experiences
Low self-esteem and confidence
Identity issues and major life transitions
At Peace and Minds Counselling, we work in a non-judgemental, compassionate way. Our counsellors draw on both professional expertise and personal understanding of hardship, which allows us to meet clients with empathy rather than assumptions.
We offer online counselling and telephone counselling throughout the UK, allowing people to access support safely and privately from their own space or a convenient place of their choosing. In fact, some clients enjoy the opportunity of being able to go for a drive whilst talking on the telephone, or being able to control and cater their own environment in a therapeutic way that is personal to them.
Continued below
How Long Does Counselling Usually Last?
If you’re wondering, “how many counselling sessions do I need?” The honest answer is: it depends on you.
Duration and quantity is a big wonder and in many ways it is up in the air as to the right answer. I’ll have to ask your forgiveness for my stating of the obvious but fortunately counselling isn’t always a one-size-fits-all and is a very personal and unique path to take. In my experience, the complexity of my issue and then the developing professional relationship and journey undertaken with a counsellor often set it’s own time span, working towards what felt a natural and timely ending.
Counselling may be:
Short-term (for example, 6–12 sessions)
Open-ended, reviewed regularly and guided by your needs
A professional counsellor will not pressure you to continue unnecessarily. You are always in control of how long you stay in counselling.
Some clients can come for short-term counselling to focus on a specific issue, while others might choose longer-term counselling to explore deeper patterns or long-standing difficulties. Ultimately, you might resolve quickly or it might take longer — and always bear in mind and feel empowered that counselling is your journey, and you should never feel obliged to remain committed to one type/period of counselling. In contrast, we really believe in the therapeutic journey and empowering the individual in becoming able take the reigns of their life direction and discover ways to maintain their own personal, therapeutic journey.
Finances can also get in the way of continued counselling and I truly understand this. At Peace and Minds we aim to help people experiencing financial difficulty to access counselling services, where and when we can — find out more.
Is Counselling Worth the Money in the UK?
This more broadly does relate to costs, which we understand can be a problem for many. Whether a problem or not, value for money remains a valid right of concern for all people. As such, many people do ask, “is counselling worth the money?”
I really believe that any private counselling in the UK or around the world, is an investment, and it’s important to feel confident about it. From years of working with clients, we often hear that counselling helped them not only feel better emotionally, but function better in daily life — at work, in relationships, and in how they relate to themselves, as they gained understanding. These clients were able to figure out who they are in their mind, what hold did their past have and how loud were their own inner-critics and begin reclaiming control over their mental health and outlook.
Here we believe that counselling can help you to:
Build healthier coping strategies
Reduce anxiety and emotional distress
Improve self-understanding and confidence
Feel more grounded and emotionally balanced
Starting with a free consultation can help you decide whether counselling feels like the right step for you. These sessions enable you to decide whether you feel you could work with your counsellor to build a trusting and open therapeutic-relationship and share your concerns and experiences, and we don’t believe that this should be charged.
What If I Feel Nervous Talking to a Counsellor?
It’s extremely common to feel nervous before counselling — especially when searching for online counselling throughout the UK or telephone counselling for the first time.
You might worry about:
Not knowing what to say
Feeling emotional or exposed
Being judged
Talking to someone you don’t know
These feelings are normal. A trained counsellor understands this and will support you to go at your own pace and should never intrude on your personal life without your consent. You don’t need to prepare, perform, or explain yourself perfectly. Simply turning up can be enough. In my experiences, I had found it difficult to know what to bring and was concerned that I wouldn’t get it across right. At the same time, it’s common, and indeed I found myself wondering, “but will I even be understood?— Will I be listened to?” The honest answer is that nobody knows. It ultimately lies with you and in your therapeutic journey, between you and the counsellors you might work with. It may take one or several but good counselling should always provide a non-judgemental, safe, empathetic and compassionate space for you to speak and share freely.
What Happens If I Cry in Counselling?
A surprisingly frequent question is: “Is it okay to cry in counselling?”
I want to stress that yes — it is completely okay. In fact, it is a natural response for human beings and is often a genuine expression of emotion.
Crying in counselling is often a sign that you finally feel safe enough to let things out. There is no embarrassment, no judgement, and no expectation to stop or explain your emotions. From professional experience, emotional expression is often part of healing — not something to be avoided.
Online and Telephone Counselling Across the UK
At Peace and Minds, we have a strong ethical outlook and are proud of our values.
We offer:
Online counselling across the UK
Telephone counselling across the UK
Limited face-to-face counselling depending on location
View our full session options
Remote counselling can be a great tool that empowers and enables clients to more widely access professional mental health support. It allows many people to access services without travel, long waiting lists, or added stress. It can be just as effective as in-person counselling for many concerns.
If you’re searching for counselling and wondering whether now is the right time, know that support is available — and reaching out does not mean you are weak. It means you are taking your wellbeing seriously.
Got a question? Check out our FAQ’s.
Write to us
Author: James at Peace and Minds Counselling
[Published on: 26/1/2026]
