Counselling after stroke

On StrokeLine, we often ask people if they have considered accessing counselling. Our role is to help people equip themselves with the tools they need to live well after a stroke. Counselling is one of these tools and it can be a really helpful one. So how do people respond when we suggest it? Well, usually there’s a pause and it’s a different pause to the ones that follow other suggestions we make. There may be a lot of different things people might be thinking during that pause:

“She thinks I’m losing my mind.”

Lots of people go to counselling. It’s true that we are often only seek counselling when we are at our lowest ebb, but it’s also true that counselling can help us keep well. It may be a crisis that gets you there, but at some point counselling can become a place where you go to learn about yourself, to change, and most importantly, to feel better.

“If I start talking about all this, it will just make it worse.”

If you have been coping with difficult feelings and situations by keeping them to yourself, it’s natural to worry about what will happen when you start to open up. But keep in mind that the aim in counselling is always to make things better, not worse. If you’re worried, talk about this with your counsellor, so you can put in place strategies to make it more comfortable for you to open up.

“How could talking about all this to a total stranger do any good?”

A benefits of counselling is having a dedicated time, person and place for yourself. Remaking the self after a stroke is personal work, unique to each individual. That’s why counselling is so invaluable – it creates a time and a place where the focus is on you.

On StrokeLine, we often suggest talking to a supportive friend or family member. Knowing who and how to ask for support when times are tough is crucial. Having someone who ‘gets it’ is a lifesaver. However friends and family are often in the situation with you to varying degrees. They have all their own feelings about what has happened.

Counsellors don’t replace the support of loved ones, they offer something else. They are outside of the situation, they have knowledge, skills and experience to offer new insights. Having someone to talk to, who is there to listen to you talk about your thoughts, actions and feelings, can be invaluable.

A counsellor can help you to see things differently, to gain new insights and to reframe things. We can judge ourselves very harshly sometimes and a counsellor can provide a reality check. The other benefit is being able to experiment and practice new ways of thinking, behaving and being. You can develop new approaches and strategies that will help you make the changes you’re seeking.

Finding the right counsellor is very personal, so it’s good to shop around. You need to know a bit about the counsellor themselves and the methods they use.

The Find a Psychologist page is very helpful, as it allows you to search using a health category, and brain injury and rehabilitation categories.

https://www.psychology.org.au/Find-a-Psychologist

From there, the best way is to call around. Ask counsellors to describe themselves, their qualifications and their methods. Write the details down so you can do your research and think about whether their approach will be a good fit for you. Ask them too if they know about stroke and if they have experience in counselling stroke survivors. You can describe to them any impacts of your stroke and ask them how they might impact how they work with you.

Early on, set expectations about how often you will meet and for how long. Don’t be afraid to start with someone new if need be. Counselling relies on being able to build a positive relationship and a shared understanding of the work you are doing together.

If you need to access counselling, you can ask your GP if you are eligible for a Mental Health Care Plan. You will be eligible if your doctor has diagnosed you with a condition such as depression or anxiety. You will then be entitled to Medicare rebates for up to ten mental health sessions each year. If you don’t have a mental health condition, you can use a Chronic Disease Management Plan scheme, which entitles you to five sessions each year. You can also use your private extras insurance, and there are some community-based options as well. StrokeLine can provide advice on these.

So if you’ve been thinking about accessing counselling, we’d encourage you to give it a try. We all deserve to thrive, not just survive, and this is just another tool to help get us there.

For more information, or to talk it through, call StrokeLine on 1800 787 653.

Jude, Social Work, StrokeLine