WHAT WE OFFER
The service we offer involves talking in a safe and confidential space, with a trained counsellor listening to you and helping you find ways to deal with your issues and concerns.
Your counsellor will help you explore your thoughts, feelings and behaviours so you can develop a better understanding of yourself and others.
Counselling requires a regular time commitment and an appreciation that this is a joint task.
SESSIONS
Assuming you are eligible for our service ( see below) you will offered weekly sessions with a counsellor, who will work with you on a range of issues. Where you state a preference for working with a male or female counsellor this will be accommodated. Some counsellors may have knowledge or experience in a specific area. If possible your needs could be matched with their specialised experience. However, all of our counsellors have a breadth of knowledge and experience and are able to work with a range of issues. You will be offered fifty-minute weekly sessions, which are reviewed after six weeks. and you are encouraged to commit to this time period. Once the six weeks are over, further work with a counsellor can be short, medium or long- term depending on what you need.
We are a Monday to Friday service.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Confidentiality is at the core of counselling. There needs to be safety and trust between counsellor and client for successful therapy. All our counsellors will keep your issues confidential within certain limitations. All counsellors have supervision. This is intended to help the counsellor help you, but the supervisor will not have any identifying details about you. Exceptions to confidentiality are generally related to risks to yourself or others. There may also be exceptional legal requirements. You will have a chance to discuss these matters with your counsellor at the beginning of counselling because the law is complex and the ethics equally so. There might be other rare circumstances under which we might need to break your confidentiality; these will also be discussed at your first session.
MATCHING YOU WITH A COUNSELLOR
People who require counselling need to contact us directly and not through a third party. Contact us by email at lowcostlewes@hushmail.com or by telephone on 07445 509825. Once we know what days and times you can manage we will then match you with a counsellor who has vacant slots at the time. If the counsellor is a trainee then we will tell you. Your preference for a male or female counsellor will also be taken into consideration. We do take into account particular issues where we can, and these can be discussed; however generally taking a vacant slot is recommended. All of our counsellors have very broad counselling knowledge. There is generally a short waiting list, but if you are able to be flexible around days and times that will help.
AM I ELIGIBLE?
Our service is committed to providing affordable counselling to people who cannot otherwise afford private counselling. (This is typically £50 + per session). We aim to offer a service to people who have low income, are on benefits, or are otherwise in difficult financial circumstances. There are many excellent private counsellors in our area and some will offer lower fees.
We are a small charity and must use our resources of counsellors and counselling space to best effect therefore , so we need to have a conversation with you about money. We understand that life is complicated and that merely ticking a band of annual income may be misleading. We have a series of questions therefore that will help us decide together if you are eligible.
Information about you will be used only for the purpose for which it is collected; that is in order to decide if we can offer you a service.