What to expect from Counselling?

A counselling session will usually last 50 minutes.

You will be treated with respect, dignity and equality regardless of race, gender, beliefs, age or sexual orientation.

Your counsellor will work with you to understand your issues and difficulties from your point of view.

You will not be judged, so that you will feel at ease to talk over your difficulties.

Your counsellor will work alongside you with whatever issues you bring, providing an openness and honesty where you will be met as a valued human being.

How to get some help

When you contact us we ask you to fill in a brief form which asks for basic details, including preferred times of appointments. You can get a copy of this form on this website. Just click here.
 
Please post this form to the Cairns office as we cannot yet guarantee complete e-mail confidentiality.

When this form is returned, your information will be placed on a waiting list and you will be contacted as soon as an appointment becomes available.  We try to see you as soon as possible, but there can be a slightly longer wait for evening appointments.

Appointments

When you get an appointment we ask clients to arrive no earlier than 10 minutes before a session as we have limited waiting space.

Counselling is not an easy process and it often means talking about feelings that have been buried.

It can be helpful to think of it as a safe place where you can tell all to your counsellor, as someone who is there for you within a confidential environment.

It is a process that can help you decide the best way forward for you.

We have a Cancellation Policy

This is necessary as a measure to reduce wasted appointments.

Clients who ring to cancel appointments are able to do this 3 times, they are then required to ring in if they need a further appointment.

Clients who do not ring in can miss 2 appointments before being placed back on the waiting list. 

This enables us to use appointment times more efficiently.

Confidentiality

We take confidentiality seriously and every care is taken to ensure that your details are secure. We do not pass your details on to others.

Also, we do not give out counsellor’s telephone numbers and all communication is via the office.

Our counsellors practice according to the BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy.

There are three situations where confidentiality may have to be breached. These are:

1. If we are concerned that you are at risk of harming yourself
2. If we are concerned that you are at risk of harming another person
3. If we are concerned about any aspect of Child Protection.

In these situations we have a responsibility to share our concerns with your GP, or with Child Protection services. However, where possible, this would only happen after we had talked it through with you.

Cairns will not offer counselling to clients whom we believe are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.