Appointments
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT:
You are very welcome to contact us to arrange an appointment for
counselling. Please phone us or alternatively you can
CLIENT REFERRAL:
Any person over 18 is welcome to contact the Centre. Clients are also referred to us for counselling by GPs, social workers, teachers, counsellors, ex-clients, friends etc. We are happy to accept enquiries about our services from friends or relatives and provide information. However, if the client is over 18 they need to make contact themselves to arrange an appointment. If the client is under 18 written permission to attend counselling will be required from both parents/guardians.
FIRST APPOINTMENT:
Once we receive a completed self-referral form we will set up an initial appointment for you. This first session is usually offered within a week to ten days. Counselling sessions usually last one hour.
Your first appointment allows you to understand how we work. Together, you and the counsellor will begin to explore what brings you to counselling and identify your hopes, needs and support systems. At the end of the initial assessment you and the counsellor will agree on the next step and decide if counselling is right for you. We welcome all your questions and queries about counselling and the services we offer.
There are some instances in which we may need to refer you on to a more appropriate services. Examples include:
• Clients who engage in sexual and/or physical abuse
• Clients who are in a very fragile state and who may need to be hospitalised for a period of time
• Clients who are unable to take care of themselves between sessions and may need therapy within a more protected residential environment
We will help you to access support around this and refer you to another agency if necessary.
ONGOING APPOINTMENTS:
Ongoing appointments begin as soon as possible after the initial meeting. Once you begin counselling you will be matched you with a counsellor who specialises in your area. This may not be the same counsellor you met in your initial session.
CANCELLATION
If, after confirming an appointment, you realise that you are unable to attend, you are kindly asked to contact us and let us know. There is a huge demand for our services and if the appointment time doesn’t work for you it could be offered to someone else.
If you need to cancel a session, please let us know at least 24 hours in advance, as we are unable to fill the space at short notice.
