[Celyn]

I am from the UK

As the previous people have said, often times everything is confidential unless you are at a serious risk of harming yourself (suicidal thoughts don't count unless you have a plan or intend to act on the thoughts) or a serious risk of harming others. The first session is often just finding out what you are struggling with, what you would like to achieve, what (if any) counselling/therapy techniques you have tried that worked/don't work and of course talking about confidentiality. You can also ask for examples of when confidentiality will be broken, if that helps. You may also want to check out FRANK for more information regarding drug advice.

I'm also glad to hear that you opened up to a friend about your mental health. It's not easy and I do understand the worry of thinking they are involving you more because they feel sorry for you, but chances are they may not have been aware of how much you were struggling and now realise that and want to look out for you. Your parents may be stressed with their own issues, but I'm sure they care about you and would want you to get help and support, regardless what they are going through.

I think that honesty is the best policy, especially when it comes to mental health. It doesn't matter whether you get a diagnosis or not, if there are things bothering you, they are always worth seeking help for, more so if they are affecting your daily life. It definitely sounds like you are struggling with uni work, feeling numb and wanting to self-harm and think that it was good of you to seek help now, rather than later.

Hope counselling helps you to get through all of this