Advances in medical knowledge and health services mean we're living longer than our parents and grandparents. But research shows that expectations of later life in the UK remain low. Many of us still associate ageing with loss, low mood and depression.
As we add years to life, we encounter more life events and changes that can challenge our resilience, confuse and confound us, and we may need help to make sense of them and continue adding life to our years.
Older people are less likely to seek and receive counselling than younger people – but the stories and case studies below demonstrate that counselling changes lives irrespective of age, and that talking therapies can support healthy ageing.
From a counsellor
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Your stories
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What is counselling?
Find out how counselling works, what therapists do and what happens in a therapy session.

How to get therapy
Where, when and how you can get access to counselling and psychotherapy.

How to find a therapist
How to use the BACP Register and our online therapist directory to find the right counsellor or psychotherapist for you.