It is so rewarding to witness significant and positive changes in a client's life. Many clients bring one specific problem to counselling: that's why they come, that's what they address, that's what they focus on.

But sometimes people slide into something unexpected: they take a step back and view themselves from a completely different, and often unexpected, perspective. They rediscover 'old selves' that they wish they had never lost, or catch a glimpse of new, possible selves; they become more aware of the relative brevity of life and of their own mortality. Far from being depressing, this often helps people to focus on the immediacy of their experience and to accept their own personal reality; it can motivate them to explore, discover and then realise their own potential. They begin to challenge ingrained patterns, cast off the longstanding introjections that have always said to them "you can't" and, perhaps for the first time, begin to taste freedom. The look on a client's face often suggests that it tastes pretty good!

It can be a scary step to take but it's much easier doing it within a safe, therapeutic setting with someone they trust.

For me, participating in this process is like participating in an awakening and is one of the reasons this is such a great profession.