You’re never too old to benefit from counselling. Working as a counsellor in a care home for the elderly brought home to me that however old you are, you’re capable of change.

Generalisations are not always helpful, but it’s fair to say that later life brings its own unique challenges. You’re more likely to be juggling work with caring responsibilities. You may be struggling to adapt to retirement. You may have money worries. You may have suffered multiple bereavements, including the death of a partner. Long term health conditions tend to become more common with age. And loneliness can feel particularly challenging to deal with, especially if you do not have the support of children or close family. The pandemic may also have contributed to feelings of isolation and heightened anxiety about your physical health.

Whatever feelings you’re experiencing, counselling can improve your mental health and well-being. It’s up to you what issues you bring to each counselling session. Sometimes there’s a worry that the past is best left in the past, or that there’s no point talking about things. I believe there’s always a point! Counselling is often empowering and life-affirming, helping you overcome stress, improve relationships, work through grief and loss, and explore issues and conflicts from the past which you may have been unable to share.

Counselling in your sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties or beyond brings the same benefits: a non-judgmental, compassionate, and safe space to explore your feelings, and to reflect on your past, present and future at your own pace.