Testimonials from Clients

How was counselling helpful?
The counselling helped me to get a better perspective on the experiences which were depressing me. As a result I learned more about the way I perceive things and strengthened my ability to engage rather than withdraw. My tendency when things are not going well is to work harder, so the reminder about life balance and 'me time' was valuable. I find visual illustrations helpful and the exercise based on the volume control was provided useful feedback in terms of how I come over. I also learned a lot about how I perceive myself from the 'how do you rate yourself continuum. The role play was empowering.

Speaking generally I found each session energising and was appreciated the sympathetic and encouraging way in which what I shared was received. Whether I go far into learning from the 'Emotional Intelligence' thinking will depend on finding space in a busy diary and mind. We will see.

I appreciated the way you engaged in a very active way in each session without taking over my agenda.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
I have no reservation concerning the personal or professional side of your work.

How was counselling helpful?
I found that counselling helped me to think of issues in a different way. The supportive, non-judgemental environment enabled me to recognise and find the strength to change patterns in my relationships and my behaviour. I found it helpful to be able to express exactly how I felt and it enabled me to see that there were still issues, from the past, that I hadn't quite resolved. Whilst I feel I have changed my life dramatically, I know there will still be times where I slip into my old ways but now I can recognise these and not let my old negative thought patterns dominate me.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
The counselling was different to the expectations I had, but in a positive way! I expected to sit and talk the whole time and for the counsellor to not really say very much. This wasn't the case, Allan helped me thrash out some issues whilst not telling me what I should do, this helped me to reach my own conclusions and decisions.

How was counselling helpful?
The councelling was very helpful to clarify my personal life. What I wanted to achieve, what I was not ready to accept from my partner. It helped me to be more assertive. I realized that I would be still appreciated and loved even though I ask my family and friends to respect my needs.

How was counselling helpful?
It provided a dedicated time to discuss my issues. If I hadn't stuck with the counselling I would not have been able to save my marriage (ie: also myself). Allan's direct approach suited my needs and I found him very enjoyable to work with. I would thoroughly recommend him. I would also like to say that anybody considering counselling 'sticks at it', as there are times when it's really hard work, but in the end it's a positive experience. You get out of it what you put in! Thanks Allan and all the best for the future.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
None. Overall, the 6 month experience met my expectations.

How was counselling helpful?
It got me to focus on some key behaviours and consider their impact and importance. This has enabled me to consider many of my responses to particular things (target setting, expectations etc) and seriously question my underlying assumptions.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
N/A

How was counselling helpful?
When I started I was under stress about what to do. I thought I had big decisions to make and was not sure which way to go. Counselling helped me understand my behaviour and consider the options, which sometimes meant not always rushing to a decision to change things. I am now much more at ease and aware. Thus I've been able to make a decision and stick to it.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
My expectations were low and previous limited experience had been negative or useless. This time I had a better result than I expected.

How was counselling helpful?
I am much more at peace with myself. I have more inner strength, which is developing everyday to my surprise (and relief). I am now proud of myself and my achievements, and I thank Allan for helping me realise that I am successful and that I have the resources within myself to go further if I really want to. Now that I have stopped counselling for the time being, I hope I have the strength to pull these resources from within myself, without relying on Allan to help me realise them. I am starting to see a more confident person, despite issues with low self-esteem etc etc. I am more aware of my thoughts and feelings about things, and finally feel that I have opinions that matter. I have found a more confident 'voice', which I often kept quiet before! Relationships with members of my family now seem more real and I am hoping to make changes in the way that my family deal with things - I have realised how important talking really is, 'bottling things up' really wasn't working for me anymore!

Allan's direct yet warm and accepting manner was definitely the right choice for me. We have worked at my pace (and this has been important), but Allan has encouraged me to push myself past many of my comfort zones, and this is where counselling has particularly paid off. Personal growth took place, and whilst this hasn't been easy at times, I felt cared for, and that I had someone with me on my 'journey' no matter what.

I still feel as if I have a bit of a way to go, but have taken the decision to stop counselling for a while. I have every intention of returning to Allan after an approriate break, in order to process the last year-and-a-half's work.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
When I first started counselling, I didn't know what to expect - I didn't really want to do it! In retrospect, my expectations have been exceeded.

How was counselling helpful?
When I started the counseling, I was sceptical that there was anything I could get from it that I couldn't read in a book. 19 sessions later I am confident that I was completely wrong about that.

The sessions helped me out of a place where I effectively felt lost and out of control for a number of reasons, and slowly, or rather gradually, I started to see that my problems were something that I could overcome if I chose to make some differences in my mentality and habits.

Although I don't believe I have finished counseling for good, I am taking some time to digest and put into practice the things that I have learned and to make some important changes to my life.

I look forward to returning and working further with Allan, but for now, goodbye and good luck.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
It actually helped!

How was counselling helpful?
It helped me alot that I grew up and feel much happier. I think it is always better to talk someone who has more experience than your friends, someone that who can understand and talk through it easily. This person is, for me, you Allan. Everyday I keep thinking "Thank God" that I found someone like Allan who helped me through it. At the end, I am much more happy, much stronger, and have self confidence.

How was counselling helpful?
At the inception of my counselling with Allan I was at an extremely low ebb. Following an upsetting relationship break up my self esteem was at an all-time low. I was unable to clearly identify the causes of my set backs and my confidence had plummetted. Working together with Allan I was able to gain a clearer insight into my own behaviour and its origins. I have a newly restored sense of self belief, higher self esteem and an understanding of the behaviour of others and its impact upon me. I believe that I have the 'tools' and knowledge to prevent a reoccurence of my previous problems, not just in the realms of personal relationships but in all relationships. I am very proud of the work that put in with Allan and I cannot recommend him highly enough.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
All of my expectations were met

How was counselling helpful?
Helped me to be more self aware. To take control of my life. To recognise my strengths (not just the weaknesses). To help me move on. To see why events in my past influence the way I behave now. To make me feel good about myself. To understand my feelings. To celebrate my achievements.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
Perhaps I thought I might be 'fixed' at the end of the process, but I realise that maybe it's more about me managing myself rather than being a new person.

How was counselling helpful?
It has made me feel like I am worthy of good things in my life. It has made me believe I deserve to be loved and cared about because I am an atractive young women. It has helped me to understand why I do certain things, and break those patterns. I feel calmer and in control of my life now.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
Nothing bad to say, other than the walk up that hill used to kill me!

How was counselling helpful?
It was helpful to me in so many ways. I am more confident in myself and my opinions. I can handle any situations that come my way without any problem. I can stand up for myself. I realise what a great person I am and that I have lots going for me. I can look forward to the future now and not be anxious. Overall counselling has changed my life for the better.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
I suppose I thought I would get answers just given to me instead of working them out myself, not really a bad thing. I realised that not everything I was told I would agree with 100%. Also, that not every session was going to be a good session.

How was counselling helpful?
It was incredibly helpful for me to talk to a specialist about the difficulties I was having at the time and to work out why I was having these issues and difficulties and to try to tackle what I could do in a manageable way. I found each session really helped me in lifting me from my depression and lack of confidence. It was not a quick fix but after each session I felt it was helping and I had something to work on. There was real belief early on that I could get out of the situation I was in and get back to how I was. I have had conselling before but this was different in that I was not just talking myself although I was sharing my thoughts all the time I was given proper advice and formed a really understanding relationship.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
I would definitely say the experience met my expectations and exceeding them. I'm so glad I spent the money on discussing why I had this negetivity, social fear and unhappiness. It was linked to alot of changes in my life with my job etc as these started to get sorted out I found great confidence again and have felt good about myself this was developed on with my sessions with Allan. Which helped me to see the positives.

How was counselling helpful?
Allan has been fantastic in not only helping me with specific issues in my life, but also by encouraging me to study and understand proven, reliable psychological techniques and studies, allowing me to help explain the very core of "who I am".

His calm, warm, yet direct manner allows you to examine any particular issue or problem, spending only the required time to understand its root cause, before moving on to the pursuit of it’s management, and/or solution. Along the way, you will be encouraged to further explore how this may affect other areas in your life, in my case explaining many unanswered questions, which now answered, have undoubtedly made it a richer place!

Allan’s understanding of the pace with which your problems should be addressed is one of his many attributes. As I came to realise, it is as important to understand the ‘true cause’ of any issue, as well as any possible solution. His methodical approach will ensure that any solution reached, has allowed you to fully understand and appreciate the ‘true cause’ along the way, making the solution not a mere quick fix, but a solid base with which to move forward from in your life.

If you are committed to investing time and money into understanding who you are, I would suggest you’d have to go a long way to find another counsellor better suited in helping achieve your goals…. were it not for the fact that I may well "check-in" again with Allan in a few months for reanalysis, I could well have suggested in my last session that he puts his fees up!

Thank you!

How was counselling helpful?
Counselling helped me to make some big changes in my life. It helped me to tackle a series of problems and has left me feeling happier and more confident. I am so glad that I chose to embark on this journey, which although tricky at times, was well worth it.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
I feel that it met all of my expectations. I am very happy with the result.

How was counselling helpful?
The decision to seek counseling is possibly the most important decision I will ever make. Counseling provided me with the knowledge, skills and support to create positive and lasting change within myself. Each session planted seeds of change that have continued to expand my sense of being and positively influence the decisions I make in life. By gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation of who l am I have greatly increased my self-knowledge, which has helped reveal my true worth as an individual. I feel I have been saved from a life of potential un-fulfillment and now look forward to a future of hope and opportunity - one that is challenging but immensely more rewarding. At long last I am finally realising an end to the fear, suffering, and loss, born of self-denial, and for this I am truly thankful.

I am profoundly appreciative of Allan, for his knowledge, abilities, and compassion. I sensed a friendship that transcended our many differences and reached out to a common humanity. As I continue to grow and change and my capacity to enjoy life similarly expands, I will look back on my time with Allan as fundamental in allowing this to occur, and will be forever grateful that our paths have crossed. Finally, since words cannot convey the actual experience of suffering that is inherent in life, and nor can they express the joy of living well; it is in utmost sincerity that I thank Allan Kelly for helping me see the truth of who I am.

How was counselling helpful?
It was great to have what I thought to be a support structure outside of my everyday world that was solely for me and no one else, where my thoughts and feelings were of primary importance and I didn't have to consider anyone else. It was great to have somewhere to go every week where I could be honest and open without worrying about the consequences and being judged. It made me feel stronger, more confident and helped to realise the kind of person I wanted to be, and although I'm not quite there yet, I know it's now not long till I will be.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
It fulfilled all expectations.

How was counselling helpful?
It was very helpful having an impartial person to talk to and having that time set aside just for me. It was also helpful having someone to get me to look at things from a different angle.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
It did meet my expectations.

How was counselling helpful?
The sessions helped in some ways to reconfirm my own thoughts and reasonings with regard to my situation and. in other ways, to offer new perspectives which I hadn't considered previously.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
I did not expect an overnight or miraculous remedy from counselling. Of course, it would be great to be able to say I feel totally back "on form" after the sessions but I know that would be unrealistic and I think it is up to me now to look to the future and take action along the lines we discussed.

How was counselling helpful?
The counselling sessions I had allowed me to openly discuss the difficult areas I was undergoing in my life in a non-biased and confidential environment. Having someone experienced in these situations to listen and to provide a different point of view. I felt that the end result was more clarity and a better understanding of these difficult areas and provided me with a few useful "tools" for me to apply to my everyday life in handling these situations.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
My expectations were unclear when I first started the sessions as I have never done anything like this before. I was really just looking for someone to listen and to provide an experienced view on the difficulties I was going through. At times I felt that I could have done with more input, however I also realise that it takes time for the counsellor to get to know the client.

How was counselling helpful?
Saw issues from a different perspective.
Helped me deal with "acceptance".
Gave me life goals to think about & strive towards.
Helped me realise that I'm not as "messed-up" as I thought I was - and helped me take the necessary steps to move forward & take on a few exciting & interesting challenges.
It has given me a little bit of much needed "self-esteem" boost.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
Realised counselling & sorting out ones problems was not about taking "drugs" - but being pro-active in talking & trying to sort my problems out!

How was counselling helpful?
From something that I thought was not going to be of any benefit at all, my opinion has been completely turned around. Allan took us from the lowest point in our marraige and gave us the forum and advice from which we are completely back on track. We are now looking forward to what amounts to a fresh beginning with each other and a huge thanks has to go to Allan for that. He made us think about and approach things in a way we would have never been able to do on our own.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
None.

How was counselling helpful?
I gained more insight into myself as an individual and as a partner in my relationship. I similarly gained insight into my partner, in relation to himself and within our relationship. All this has provided me with healthy, helpful skills to give our (young) marriage the best of my potential. I am confident that we will both make the best of it. We have learnt to work as a team, which requires a lot of cooperation. At the moment we are both feeling safe and are at peace with ourselves and within our relationship. All of this was of course due to Allan's clear guidance. Thank you for providing us a third and fresh perspective, which was so essential.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
Not all issues I had concerns about were covered. I accept it is due to time constraints, and that one can't 'fix' all at once.

How was counselling helpful?
Increased understanding of how to deal with each other, the positives in our differences and giving us strategies to deal with potential conflicts.

What ways did counselling not meet your expectations?
Our expectations were met.