How do British people think about counselling for help? I am a student from China. This is my dissertation survey about the different attitudes toward counselling for help between Chinese people and British people.
Hi there, hopefully I can help you with your dissertation survey about what British people think about counselling for help.
A lot of British people have counselling privately or through the NHS for a number of different reasons. These can be emotional events such as bereavement, stress, relationship breakdowns or money worries. Many people find it very helpful and go on to lead normal lives after having a few counselling sessions: I found some testimonials from British patients about in8 Counselling:
"I would recommend this help to all. It has given me more freedom in life and I am now in control and don’t have to have bad feelings about anything any more. Life is better than it has ever been. It is also helping my family as I am calmer with them. Thank you. Bless you."
But a lot of people still don't believe in it...
There is still a bit of the British 'stiff upper lip' tradition when it comes to counselling. A lot of people think that having counselling is:
- Weak
- Attention-seeking
- Only for 'mad' people
- Telling everyone your business
Of course, counselling is none of these things. There is an organisation in the UK which is trying to stop the stigma with talking about mental health, called Time to Change. They are trying to get people talking about mental health so people can get the help they need, such as counselling, and help to bust some of the myths that go with it.
You might want to visit the Time to Change website at www.time-to-change.org.uk.
I don't know if this will help, but I found a video on how counselling can help people, recorded by Sheffield University, which might give you some views on how British people think about counselling:
Good luck with your dissertation!