COUNSELLING IN BRIGHTON AND HOVE

One of the things people often say at the start of therapy is, “I don’t really know where to begin.”

It might come with a nervous laugh or an awkward pause – as if not having a clear starting point is a problem. But honestly, I hear those words as something else entirely. I hear them as a beginning.

Because the truth is, not knowing where to start usually means something matters. Something is moving, even if it’s not in focus yet. You’ve felt the discomfort or the stuckness or the fog of something that’s been sitting beneath the surface – and you’ve decided to turn towards it, even if you don’t quite know how.

That’s not a failure. That’s courage.

Therapy doesn’t need a perfect timeline or a polished version of events. You don’t have to have it all worked out before you walk in the room. In fact, many of the most important things we discover in therapy are things we didn’t know we needed to say.

So if you find yourself unsure of where to begin, that’s okay. We can start there. With the confusion. With the hesitation. With the half-sentences and the long silences. That space is part of the process. It’s often how something real begins to form.

In the end, starting therapy isn’t about having the right words. It’s about being willing to show up, even without them.