Counselling

[Needhelp2]

Hi
I’ve finally got my first counselling session this Thursday ... but it’s with a man. I’m not sure if I’m comfortable with this as I wasn’t asked if I wanted a male or female counsellor.
Has anyone had a male counsellor and was it ok?
The only reason I am anxious about it as I am already struggling to talk to DH about issues and I don’t know if I will be comfortable opening up to a man .

I always ask to see a female counsellor, also female GP if it's MH related. I wouldn't feel comfortable at all discussing stuff with a man - even if he's perfectly qualified and competent, you've got to feel comfortable to get the best out of the sessions otherwise there's no point.
Can you ask if you can swap to someone else? Or go along and see how you get on with them?

Thanks for your reply.

I don’t want to feel like I’m being disrespectful to him but I’ve been on the waiting list for some time now - just more anxious that if I say no then I will have to wait longer

It's very common for women to request to see another woman, he won't take offence. If you don't want to wait I guess you'll just have to go and see how you feel about it. He might be lovely and make you feel very comfortable.