Sharing Your Story

In the previous lesson you reflected privately on what brought you to this course. In this lesson we are going to invite you to share a little of that story in the Comments tab, if you feel comfortable doing so.

But before you do, there is something worth thinking about. Something that is actually central to counselling practice itself.

Appropriate self-disclosure

Counsellors think carefully about what they share, with whom, and how much. This is called appropriate self-disclosure, and it is a skill that takes time and practice to develop. It is not about being guarded or secretive. It is about being thoughtful.

The principle is simple: the level of detail you share should match the context you are sharing it in. A private journal, a trusted friend, a therapist, a supervision session, and a public online forum all call for different levels of openness. What feels right in one setting can feel exposing, or even harmful, in another.

This is something you will explore in depth on the diploma. But you are about to practise it right now, even if you did not realise it.

A practical example

Imagine someone who came to counselling training after a period of significant personal difficulty. In a private journal they might write in full detail. With their therapist they might explore the depth of it. In a supervision session they might reference it briefly as context. But in a public comment on a course forum, the most appropriate version might simply be:

“I had some difficult experiences in my earlier life that led me to seek support, and that experience is a big part of why I want to do this work.”

That is honest. It is real. It gives other people enough to connect with. And it protects the person sharing it. That is not withholding. That is wisdom.

Before you comment – a checklist

1

Would I be comfortable with anyone reading this? Comments are visible to other students and tutors.

2

Am I sharing the level of detail that is right for a public forum, or am I going deeper than this context calls for?

3

If something very personal is driving my interest in counselling, can I reference it in general terms rather than specific detail?

4

Does what I am about to share feel like a considered choice, or am I sharing in the moment without thinking it through?

Activity – Join the Conversation

Click the Comments tab at the top of this page and share, at whatever level feels right for you, what brought you to this course.

It might be a sentence. It might be a short paragraph. It might simply be: “I have wanted to do this for years and I am finally doing something about it.” That is enough. What matters is that it is honest and that it is yours.

Once you have posted, take a moment to read what others have shared. You might find that someone else’s reason resonates with you, or that seeing your own experience reflected in another person’s words is more powerful than you expected. Feel free to respond to other students’ comments if something moves you to.

You have just practised something real

Making a considered choice about what to share, how much, and in what words is not a small thing. It is the kind of thinking that skilled counsellors do instinctively. You have just done it deliberately, which is exactly how that instinct develops.

When you are ready, mark this lesson as complete and move on.

PreviousNext