Who accesses counselling?

People come to counselling for all kinds of reasons, but underneath those reasons is often a simple truth: something inside no longer feels in balance. Transactional Analysis (TA) offers a helpful way to understand this. It describes how we move between three internal dialogues or “ego states”: the Parent (thoughts, feelings and behaviours we take from our parents or primary caregivers), the Adult (our logical, present self in the 'here and now'), and the Child (our emotional and instinctive responses we perceived from when we were children).

Counselling often begins when these voices start to clash. Someone might feel pressured by an internal Parent that demands too much, or overwhelmed by a Child state that reacts with anxiety, frustration, or exhaustion. Sometimes the Adult voice—the one that calmly assesses what we need—gets drowned out altogether.

Those who access counselling are often people who realise they’ve been running on empty or stuck in old patterns. They may not be in crisis, but they can sense there’s more to life than simply coping. Counselling becomes a space where these inner states can slow down and reconnect, allowing a person to understand themselves with more clarity and compassion.

In the end, counselling isn’t for a particular type of person. It’s for anyone who wants to strengthen their internal dialogue, break unhelpful cycles, and move toward a more grounded and authentic way of living.