The grounded counselling approach, although blending solution-focused counselling and coaching, is part of a wider slow counselling drive. Rather than using the now ‘accepted’ approach of forcing data, usually through surveys or questionnaires — most of which information leads the counsellor to form preconceptions –we focus on allowing data/information to emerge at the right time and when it is necessary. A simple analogy might help: any plant forced to grow will have a weak core, leading to problems later; a healthy plant is one that is allowed to thrive and adapt to its environment.

In the grounded counselling approach, the central idea is to slowly explore what is happening to gain understanding; once we have that understanding, we can identify the best-fit action that will work for you.

BUT slow does not mean that the actions will take a long time to identify, just that we do not rush. Too much of modern life is about rushing around, like headless chickens, creating stress and anxiety and looking for quick fixes. I do not offer quick fixes; I help you identify actions that fit and work for you in your situation and that you can modify, if necessary, later on.

The danger of a ‘quick fix.’

One of the main issues men come to see me with is stress. Any counselling approach that sells itself as being able to provide a quick fix, which unfortunately has been happening with some CBT and mindfulness techniques, is, to put it frankly, dangerous.

Dangerous, not necessarily because of the approach itself but the philosophical and sociological views underpinning the practice. Counselling should not support the mindset of short-termism. When counsellors support the use of quick fixes, they are really adding more pressure on the client to find a solution that would probably be sub-optimal.

It is possible to offer short-term counselling that is not superficial if our approach emphasises emergence rather than forcing. We should not allow our work to be shallow; we can ‘go deep’ very quickly and safely if we know what we are doing if, like me, we have been specifically trained in short-term work.

Dont forget to get in touch if you want help.