Chooseday 18th August – Choose Counselling

Usually on a Chooseday we suggest something easy. Drink more water. Go outside. Play like a kid again. Today's one takes a bit more courage. This ChooseDay, choose counselling.

And before you scroll past thinking "not for me"... a quick word from Ash, our CEO.

So, I've been seeing a counsellor for a while now, and it's helping me to work through some stuff.

It took me a long time to get here. My thinking was always: other people have real problems. Who am I to sit in that chair? There are people doing it so much tougher.

But what I've learned is that this thinking didn't make me humble. It just kept me stuck. If any of that sounds familiar, this email is for you.

— Ash

A short history of talking about it

People have been figuring this out for a while. Back in the 1880s a young Viennese woman named Bertha Pappenheim noticed that when she talked through what was troubling her, she felt better. She's the one who named it "the talking cure"; the patient came up with it, not the doctors.

Then in the 1940s Carl Rogers changed the whole idea of counselling. Less expert-fixes-broken-person, more one human genuinely listening to another, without judgement. Most counselling today still runs on that idea.

What it actually looks like now

There are lots of flavours, and no, you don't need to know the difference before you book:

🧠 CBT — working on the thought patterns that trip you up

🌊 ACT — learning to make room for hard feelings instead of fighting them

💞 Couples and family therapy

👥 Group therapy, with people who actually get it

📱 Or telehealth, if the waiting room isn't your thing

Here's the interesting bit though. The research keeps finding that which type matters less than whether you click with the person. So if the first counsellor isn't right, that's not a sign it doesn't work. Try another one. People do it all the time.

Why saying it out loud helps

Brain researchers have a name for it: affect labelling. Putting a feeling into words actually settles the part of the brain that sounds the alarm. Talking it out isn't just venting. Something real happens. And a practical note for the Aussies reading: your GP can set you up with a Mental Health Treatment Plan, which gets you Medicare-subsidised sessions. One regular GP appointment is the whole entry point.

You also don't have to wait for a crisis. Plenty of people treat counselling like the physio; a tune-up before the small thing becomes the big thing.

And the shame thing?

Let it go. You get your car serviced. You get your teeth checked. Your mind is allowed the same attention. Nobody's keeping score on whose problems are "big enough."

Seek support from people who make it possible 🤝

On GoodCompany we list close to 100 charities providing counselling and mental health support across Australia.

👉 Explore counselling charities on GoodCompany

These charities exist to help you. Or if you don't need help, maybe you can help others? Not everyone can afford to talk to someone, and that's where some brilliant charities come in supporting kids, carers, farmers, veterans, new parents, whole communities. You can also donate, volunteer or add one to your workplace giving; so when someone finally feels ready to talk, there's someone there to listen.

So that's today's challenge. Book the appointment you've been putting off. Or check in properly with a mate. Or just say out loud, to someone, how you're actually going.

That's it. That's the whole thing. 💛

Happy ChooseDay,

The GoodCompany Team

Know someone who will benefit from a Chooseday mindset?

Share Choosedays with a friend

If you or someone you know needs support right now, Lifeline is on 13 11 14, any time.