What you need to know
How to choose a counsellor?
Your relationship with a counsellor is one that builds on trust, respect and empathy and therefore it is important to find someone that you will feel comfortable, safe and at ease with.
It makes sense to choose a counsellor who is qualified, experienced and registered with the appropriate professional organisation. This ensures that specified standards of competence and ethical practice are adhered to. Tanya is a Registered Counsellor with the Australian Counselling Association (ACA).
What can I expect from my first session?
It can be a daunting prospect to talk personally and intimately with someone who you don’t know. Tanya understands this, and works to create a warm, respectful and accepting environment in which you can begin to explore your concerns. The first session is primarily about getting to know each other, and beginning to describe your distress and unhappiness. You also will be asked a little about your background, so that Tanya can gain a sense of your broader circumstances and some context for your immediate concerns.
How long does a session last and how many sessions will I need?
Counselling sessions’ generally last for one hour and during your first session Tanya will help you plan any future sessions you may require as this varies from person to person.
What if I wish to cancel my appointment?
You are welcome to cancel your counselling appointment at any time. Please be sure to give at least 24 hours’ notice of cancellation or to change your appointment time. This enables the time to be made available for someone else. The full fee may be charged for late cancellation and missed appointments.
How much is the cost of a counselling session?
The cost for a one-hour session of counselling is currently offered at $85. This must be paid at the time of the booking and for easy payment, cash or credit card are both suitable.
Client confidentiality
Confidentiality is a means of providing ‘you’ the client with safety and privacy and thus protects your autonomy. For this reason any limitation on the degree of confidentiality is likely to diminish the effectiveness of counselling.
The counselling contract will include any agreement about the level and limits of the confidentiality offered. This agreement can be reviewed and changed by negotiation between the counsellor and the client.
Agreements about confidentiality continue after the client’s death unless there are overriding legal or ethical considerations. In cases where the client’s safety is in jeopardy any confidentially agreements that may interfere with this safety are to be considered void (see 3.6 ‘Exceptional circumstances’ ACA Code of Practice).
Confidentiality extends to client records which must be kept securely – be they maintained as hard copy or by digital processes.
Counsellors must ensure that they have taken all reasonable steps to inform the client of any limitations in regard to confidentiality.