Self-esteem is and can be fragile and counselling can help people with low self-esteem.
The theory of person centred counselling can be simplified thus: When we grow up we are damaged by people who do not allow us to express our natural emotional responses.
As children we are often in need of love and actively search out approval from our main carers and families.
We therefore sometimes get lost in ways of behaving which are aimed at obtaining approval from others rather than expressing our natural selves.
The argument here is that if we are in constant search for approval we are unlikely to feel happy or have self-esteem as we spend most of our time pleasing other people rather than ourselves.
Counselling works in that it encourages people to contact their own inner self and resources.
Put simply a counsellor who listens to a client without judgement is encouraging their client to contact their real selves.
Through this dynamic people become aware of their own self and needs and their self esteem is thus bolstered.
To sum up we cannot have positive self esteem if we do not value ourselves.
We should not spend our lives people pleasing.
Counselling gives people the opportunity to make contact with their real selves and realise that they have a right to express themselves and recognise their own emotional needs.
This process can take place in counselling if the client is ready to do this.
To contact ones real self is the beginning of the emergence of self esteem.