Things I Want You to Know About Counselling With Me

Annie Best
Apr 29
2 min read

As a counsellor based in Basingstoke – I wanted to share a few things with you about what it's really like to be in the counselling space with me. Whether you're thinking about starting therapy, returning after a break, or just curious about what it's like, I want you to know that you're absolutely welcome as you are. There’s no need to perform, impress, or pretend. This is your space – and I mean that wholeheartedly.

Here are a few things I want you to know up front:

I don’t care how you dress.

Come in comfy clothes, in your work uniform, pyjamas, or whatever makes you feel most at ease. This isn’t a place for judgement. This is a place for you to breathe.

You can swear if you want to.

Honestly, some feelings just need a good swear word to come out right. There's no need to filter yourself here.

Express yourself however feels true to you.

Whether you're loud or quiet, bubbly or reserved, fidgety or still – it’s all welcome. You don't have to be any certain way for therapy to "work." You just have to be you, and that’s enough.

Use the tissues. Drink the water.

Use all of them if you need to. They’re there for a reason. If you're crying, you're not "too much." You're just being real – and that's powerful.

You don’t have to know what to say.

You can show up and say, “I have no idea what I’m doing here.” That’s more than okay. We’ll figure it out together.

You’re not broken – and you don’t need to be “fixed.”

My job isn’t to fix you. It’s to sit alongside you, to listen, and to hold space for the parts of you that maybe haven’t been heard in a while.

There’s no “right” way to do this.

You might talk loads. You might be silent. You might laugh or cry or feel nothing at all. All of that is welcome. This space bends and flexes around you, not the other way around.

Counselling with me in Basingstoke is about connection, honesty, and creating a space where you get to be completely human. If you’re wondering whether therapy is for you – it probably is. You don’t need to wait until things are “bad enough.”

If you have questions or you’d like to explore starting therapy with me,