Counselling success stories from KathmanduCounselling success stories from Kathmandu

He came to me with uncontrolled shaking of his right hand. It happened while he argued in front of judges, and it had begun three months before he reported. He also had trouble sleeping, felt anxious and had other physical complaints.

Assessment linked the shaking to childhood trauma that a case he was handling in court had stirred up again. He gave himself fully to the process and completed every assignment. The shaking settled, along with the other symptoms, within seven sessions and a few follow-up sessions. It remains one of the most unusual cases of my working life.

She came with low mood, loss of interest in things, difficulty focusing and disturbed sleep. It had begun 25 days earlier, after a bitter experience.

Assessment showed separation anxiety linked to several past relationships, together with depression. It took 24 sessions. She often lost patience and asked to quit, but her family took part, encouraged her and supported her throughout. After the sessions ended, follow-up sessions for relapse prevention and reflection were important, and she attended them sincerely.

He was referred by his family, especially his wife. He was not sleeping, talked without stopping, had swings of mood and had attempted suicide several times. He did not want treatment at first; he came because he was made to.

I suggested that he and his family also see a psychiatrist about medication, and explained that counselling and psychotherapy work best when the person takes part fully and willingly. The next day his wife called to say he was ready for the sessions.

We planned, assessed and began. Evaluation showed clear improvement from the fifth session, which encouraged him, his family and me. The course took about six months, or 30 sessions.

She had just finished +2. A friend had told her my sessions might help, and she called me herself. She had headaches, nightmares, daytime sleepiness, fatigue, fear without a clear reason, and sadness.

After she signed the consent letter, we worked through sessions to find the real causes and the pattern of the illness, so the case formulation and treatment plan would be clear. There were several triggers from her past, including harm in childhood, violence at home and the fear of losing her mother. She took part sincerely but missed some sessions, so I gave her more home assignments as a self-help programme, which she did well.

She left for Australia after 15 sessions, before we had finished. When she came back to Nepal she called to set a time again: she was still struggling and could not focus on her studies. We used cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which worked well for her, and she recovered soon after.

He suddenly stopped going to school. His parents came to me first and asked for help. He had withdrawn from people outside the family, spoke very little and was on a screen all the time.

When I met him he was shy but very cooperative. Gradually he opened up about feelings and needs he had held in for years: the difficulties COVID-19 brought, the way he was parented, pressure from peers and the role of his teachers. Treatment took about a year, and he could not continue his studies during it. Forcing him was not an option; healing mattered more than school at that time.

The next year he agreed to join class 9 again at another school. I held a few follow-up sessions and stopped. He kept going: he passed SEE and +2 with good grades and is now studying for a bachelor's degree. Patience and recovery like this is what makes the work worth doing.