Counselling
- What is Counselling?
- Who is it for?
- What is it for and what does it do?
- Confidentiality
- How do I get referred?
- Drugs and drink
What is Counselling?
Counselling has been described as the opportunity to discover a more resourceful, satisfying way of living.
Who is it for?
Counselling can be helpful for anyone experiencing all sorts of difficulties. The problem may be specific: maybe you are having difficulties in your relationship with a partner, parent, child or with colleagues; perhaps you have suffered some kind of loss or trauma; or the problem may be more generalised feelings of unhappiness, anxiety or depression.
What is it for and what does it do?
Counselling is about helping you to resolve and change troublesome thoughts, feelings, behaviour or coping strategies which prevent you from leading a more fulfilling life. The counsellor can help by enabling you to:
- explore present problems
- perhaps explore past events which may be affecting the present
- gain a new understanding of your difficulties and develop new coping strategies
- make decisions or changes for the future in a non-judgemental supportive environment
You will probably see the counsellor weekly for just under an hour over a period of eight sessions although this can vary.
Confidentiality
Counselling is confidential except in the following circumstances:
If you put yourself or others at risk of serious harm the counsellor has a duty to inform your GP or relevant Agencies of this. The counsellor’s work is supervised by a qualified supervisor with whom he/she may discuss the content of your session. The supervisor abides by the code of confidentiality. If your GP has referred you he/she may need a progress update (the content of this can be negotiated with you).
How do I get referred?
You can ask your doctor or any other health professionals at the surgery to be referred for counselling. After your doctor has referred you, you may be initially assessed for counselling in’ triage’ (an initial assessment of your needs) then will be put on a waiting list for counselling. If this service is not’t available, you will be put directly on a waiting list for counselling and the counsellor will assess whether they are the right person to help you.
Drugs and drink
The counsellor will not see you for counselling if she/he believes you are ‘hung over’ or have been drinking or using drugs.