Clients‟ experience of counselling within a narrative framework

containment as she seems to distrust the 
counsellor by imagining that not having 
a session is a test to see if she will return 
for counselling.

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110 
Line Words from whole journal Analysis 
This entry demonstrates how the participant appears to battle with the containment of her 
feelings about herself and her counsellor. Perhaps an unrecognized self is „demanding‟ that she 
listens to herself for the journal seems to enable her to contain all these feelings by writing them 
out. In the following entry of the journal she realizes that she is perhaps trying to do too much 
too quickly and has a sense of needing to care for herself by putting herself first. Fighting 
containment-freedom in the above entry seemed to allow her to shift towards containing her own 
feelings so that „selfish‟ turns into caring for herself appropriately. This highlights how the 
whole journal narrative adds to the overall story. Taken on its own the entry above demonstrates 
part of the participant‟s process, the other entries add to this and create a story of process. 
8. I suppose I’m selfish and
9. it’s “I want” still! 
10. Family still demanding 
11. thought I’d learnt 
12. to say “no” – wrong! 
13. I feel used again by 
14. them all why can’t I 
15. get this right! Everything
16. with me takes so long 
17. Why!
She appears to recognize her need in 
this (line1) but sees this as selfish as if 
she fights even allowing herself these 
feelings about the counsellor, as if she 
fights the freedom of her own feelings. 
Her demanding family (line10) may 
represent the demanding counsellor who 
gets to choose when to have a break. 
This leaves the client feeling used (line 
13), so perhaps she feels used by the 
counsellor. Its as if she cannot really 
voice “no” (line 12) its not fair - to the 
counsellor, as she can‟t with her family. 
She again seems to fight herself as she 
sees herself taking too long to do this 
counselling and perhaps thinks the 
counsellor takes too much time off.

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4.3.4. Desire for containment-freedom 
One of the first similarities noticed in the narratives was that the participants all used words that 
showed that they felt safe with their counsellor, cared for, loved, or that they felt these feelings 
towards her. It seems they want the strength of the integrated Beauty and Beast that they sense 
she possesses. In the following table is a selection of the words used in the journals that allude to 
these feelings of love and safety: 
Table iv. To show words that suggest feeling safe, cared for or loved. 
Held
Contained
Heard
Supported
Secure
Warmth
Cared for
Acknowledged
Accepted
Trust
Grounded
Respect
Close
Thankful
Understood
Safe
Loved
Encouraged
Finding this need to feel safe and heard so often in the journals created the category „desire for 
containment‟. These feelings of safety seem to reflect the safety I felt in already having a secure 
base in which to take trauma. The words the participants used seem to demonstrate the desire to 
feel the above states and also describe how they felt towards the counsellor. It seemed that what 
they felt for her was also what they desired most to feel about themselves. There was a need to 
look for words that suggested a „desire for freedom‟ in order to see if the polarity to the desire 
for containment existed. This desire for freedom felt that it needed to be described by opposing 
emotions so that a polarity was felt. Words that helped to complete this category were: 

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112 
Table v. To show words that suggest feeling unsafe, uncared for and unloved. 
Lost
Insecure
Disappointed
Unleashed
Escaping
Felt obliged
Exposed
Irritated
Weary
Vulnerable
Annoyed
Needy
Unsafe
Frustrated
Hate
Whereas the words for the „desire for containment‟ hold positive aspects of the clients‟ feelings 
about what they feel for the counsellor, this other half of the category has more negative 
(Beastly) words that express again how the participants feels about themselves, and/or how they 
feel towards the counsellor, or how they feel the counsellor feels towards them.
Extract 5. Journal entry to show the category desire for containment-freedom 
Line Words from the journal Analysis 
1. I fight hard against 
2. Perceived injustice 
3. Because 
4. I don’t want others 
5. To suffer it 
6. Like I did 
7. We should all be loved 
8. Just for being 
9. Not for what we do. 
A strong sense of a desire for freedom 
to fight against the injustice of her past. 
Lines 1-2 
She appears to fight for freedom so 
others not to suffer as she did. Perhaps 
she also fights for the containment of 
her own suffering. Lines 3-5 
What she appears to desire is the