Choose Life Counselling Client Testimonials

(Unfortunately, due to confidentiality client's names cannot be given.)

a) Testimonial: Unsure of what to expect, I began counselling with Lynette during a very stressful time in my life arising from a change in jobs that I quickly realised was not going to work out. Being someone who considers work to be integral with my persona, the impact of this situation was, at the time, severe. Lynette helped me to put my expectations of myself into perspective, preventing me from crumbling entirely following my departure from the job. At this time, Lynette helped me to dig out and squash the false beliefs driving my feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt, and equipped me with the practical tools that I needed to change my way of thinking about the situation. Sometime later I returned to counselling with Lynette to revisit and work through some more deep-seated events that have coloured my life, in particular the sudden death of my sister. Lynette is a patient, kind and selfless listener. By helping me to reflect clearly on this painful time in my life, she helped me to see the value in knowing the truth about what really happened, allowing me closure on a period of my life that haunted me for almost two decades. Working with Lynette has allowed me to move forward with my life in ways I would not have expected, and I continue to recommend her services highly.

b) Testimonial: When I first decided to start counselling I didn’t even know what my issues were, all I knew was that I was extremely stressed and unhappy. Lynette broke down all my anxieties and helped to pinpoint the root causes. This in turn let me focus on what was really stressing me out and I was able to resolve my feelings and change my thought process. Lynette was good at listening to me and not being judgemental, she made me feel like what I was going through was perfectly alright and that I wasn’t the only one going through similar problems. I left each session feeling uplifted and calm. I will definitely return to Lynette if I ever need to again in the future.

c) Testimonial: Feeling lost and at the end of my tether, I sought help with Lynette as my life seemed to be a complicated maze of stressful moments, followed by periods of frustration and despair. I had no idea of why or how my life had become this confusing mass of internal turmoil..?? Lynette helped to provide a 'map' and a 'pathway' through my internal maze of feelings, and helped me identify the in-balances in my life, and helped me understand why I was where I was in my life. This coupled with tools to guide me on a journey of discovery of my own thoughts and feelings, I came out the other side of my journey looking back thinking that life really is wonderful, people really are amazing, and we all deserve to live life to the fullest. Thank you so much for your expert steerage through troubled waters.

d) Testimonial: After losing my Mum to cancer, and then 10 weeks later my Nana died from a ‘broken heart’ having lost her daughter, to then 6 months later having my Dad commit suicide, I was at a point where I knew if I was going to get through this horrible time, that I was going to need someone to help me.  I gained from seeing Lynette for my grief a sense that it was all right for me to be feeling as bad as I did, that it didn’t mean I was weak and that I should have been able to cope on my own.  Lynette’s words of comfort helped me grasp what I needed to achieve, and that was being able to get on with my life and to live with the grief.  I feel that I have done a good job of this, and 18 months later I feel close to my Mum, Nana and Dad, and at the same time I know they are no longer here for me to lean on day by day. Lynette is a wonderful listener, and that gave me an opening to share honestly and feel safe.  I felt heard and understood, and at all times I felt that Lynette was holding my hand but letting me find my own way. My daughter and I are eternally grateful to Lynette for what she has given to us both, a sense of acceptance in losing our loved ones, and a pathway to a brave new future without them. Thankyou Lynette.

e) Testimonial: When I first went to counseling with Lynette, I was unsure what to expect. I had been to other counselors and found that while there were temporarily helpful, I didn't see many lasting changes in my life which made me feel like I should be in counseling forever.  Lynette was such a source of encouragement right from the start. Practically, Lynette was awesome at helping me learn new ways to think about situations that had paralyzed me in the past. I felt my confidence and perspective grow in a healthy way and I learned how to really combat and stop negative thoughts that had lead me towards depression in the past. Lynette was a voice of reason in my life during a time where it seemed like no one else had the patience or knowledge to help me. I appreciated that Lynette has a lot of life experience that she can draw from and while I found her to be a teacher and mentor she was also a friend during our counseling sessions. I felt that she was loyal to me and on my side which made it so easy to build trust with her.
One major change I saw from my work in counseling is the way I now handle my relationship with my abusive father. I was able to see my father through new eyes and forgive him of the hurt he caused me in the past. I was also able to face to face confront him on some necessary things and found that he responded so well. It made me wish I had learned and done all this work years ago! But I'm so happy I did it now.
I personally encourage many people to see out counselling. I am happy to report that a few people have been so encouraged by my experience that they have gone to counseling themselves.

f) Testimonial:
 "After many years of battling with grief due to the death of my parents, and having tried 2 other counsellors, my confidence in the counselling process had become somewhat diminished. Thankfully this was fully restored after meeting with Lynette for a course of sessions. I found Lynette's professional and approachable attitude very comfortable to be around which allowed me to open up on a level I had previously been unable to. Our work on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy was invaluable to my healing process and as a subsequence, with Lynette's help, I have been able to find that natural state of equilibrium I had been searching for. I cannot emphasize strongly enough how much these sessions changed my life in the way I think and deal with situations.  I would, without doubt, highly recommend Lynette to anyone who is wanting to find balance and happiness in their life."

g) Testimonial: From a client who had been living overseas for many years and was adjusting to living back in New Zealand:
“Thank you for the input you had in my life. It was a definite help with the “re-entry phase”, even though there were other stages I had to go through. The work you did on my “being” was a great help in putting my house in order!”