‘Things can only get better’
…was the theme song when the new Labour government came to power in a wave of optimism, maybe even euphoria, in 1997. Maybe that remained the country’s theme song until August 2007 when the world’s financial markets became engulfed in a global turmoil culminating in a previously unimaginable sequence of events at the end of 2008 when some banks, insurance companies and even countries considered ’safe as houses’, to all intents and purposes went bust. And these events have continued daily into 2009.
Until August 2007 there appeared to be a sort of general euphoria that house prices could only continue to rise and rise and that it was possible to make fantastic amounts of money by just sitting behind a screen and taking a risk that… things could only get better. Somehow the general perception was that the world had changed for good, that the lessons of history had become irrelevant and those who dared to take a reality check and express their misgivings risked spoiling the party for the rest.
Well the party is well and truly over for many of us now and a lot of people have been left to pay the bill for the party and clear up the mess too. That mess comprises lost jobs, financial hardship, decimated pensions, uncertainty, anxiety, stress, depression, anger and relationship difficulties. My clients bring these and other problems to my counselling room every day in January 2009. We are now living through the low after a euphoric high that lasted a full 10 years.
How can counselling help when people find themselves in a situation, usually through no fault of their own, which appears hopeless with no answers and no light at the end of the tunnel? Like a pressure cooker, it’s a good idea to release some of the pressure by easing off the valve and letting off some steam in a controlled, safe way. Talking it through in the counselling room can do just this. Maybe it is OK to feel angry and to express that anger. Maybe it wasn’t ‘all my fault’, maybe there are some options, maybe even a crisis can present opportunities. Maybe it’s not a bad idea to get an independent, non-judgemental view, a different perspective.
I offer every prospective new client a first meeting free of charge to see if working with me could help. If you’re interested just get in touch using my Contact Me page.