How can I access counselling? Expand You can phone and refer yourself for counselling by calling 01492 554443 or email [email protected]. With their permission, you can also refer a close family member.
What to expect following referral Expand You will be offered an initial assessment appointment with one of our qualified and experienced counsellors. The assessment can be attended as an individual, a couple or a parent/carer accompanying a younger child. This will offer the chance to see if counselling feels right for you and to ask any questions you might have. If you choose to engage in counselling you will be offered 12 sessions. Counselling sessions last for up to one hour. A therapeutic contract will be established between you and your counsellor, outlining expectations of the counselling process and regularity of sessions. We offer counselling sessions at our counselling centres, community hubs, on the online platform, Zoom, and also by telephone.
Our counsellors Expand Our counselling service is accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). All our counsellors are accredited or registered members of BACP, and adhere to the Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions. Our counselling sessions are available during office hours and, by arrangement, in the evenings and out of hours.
Confidentiality Expand Trust is the cornerstone of a counselling relationship and confidentiality is of paramount importance. We do ask for the name and address of your GP and, with your permission, send a letter at the beginning and end of our work together simply informing them that you are receiving counselling from Hope House or Tŷ Gobaith. However, the content of all counselling sessions will remain confidential unless there is a risk of significant harm to yourself or others. In the event of this and, where possible, following a discussion with you we may contact your GP, social services or the police to raise any concerns, but only in the interest of your health and safety. Our counsellors work as part of a multidisciplinary team and more than one member of our team may be involved in supporting you and your family. Information will only be shared with the team, with your permission, on a need to know basis and in order to ensure that we deliver the best possible support to you. As professional practitioners we are required to have regular, confidential supervision where areas of our practice will be discussed. However we will not disclose any personally identifying information.
Note keeping Expand Your counsellor will keep brief confidential notes following each session. Counselling notes are saved securely on our Care Database and can only be accessed by your counsellor. You can request sight of your counselling notes if you wish. Any third party requesting access will require your signed agreement before information is released.
Children and young people Expand When working with children and young people, our counsellors will establish whether the child or young person is willing to inform their parents or carers, who have parental responsibility, about the counselling sessions. If so, we will ask them to sign a form agreeing for their child engaging in counselling. If a child or young person chooses not to inform their parents/carers, the counsellor will decide whether they consider them to be ‘Gillick competent,’ i.e. sufficiently mature and able to understand the nature of the counselling process, before deciding whether counselling can take place. In this case a young person may sign an agreement for support themselves. We encourage open discussion with parents or family members where appropriate.
Complaints Expand Hope House Children’s Hospices has a documented complaints policy (please contact your counsellor, or our Counselling and Bereavement Support Coordinator for details). All complaints are treated seriously and with respect. BACP has a Professional Conduct team to whom complaints about a BACP accredited service or individual member can be referred and dealt with under the Professional Conduct Procedure (www.bacp.co.uk).
Evaluation and feedback Expand When counselling has finished we will send you a confidential questionnaire for your feedback. You can fill the form in anonymously. We value feedback and welcome your comments. Evaluation forms received are periodically collated and reports of the findings are available on our website. Please see our website for more details.