General Information
Duration of Session
The duration of each therapy session is 55 minutes to one hour. It is the client’s responsibility to be on time. Late arrival cannot be made up for at the end of the appointed time.
Number of Sessions
This will be discussed and agree with you at the first session. In order for the counselling to begin to be productive, it is normal to agree an initial minimum contract, Minimum six week. This facilitates the counsellor getting to know you and your particular difficulties. This also allows you the opportunity to become more relaxed and more open in talking about your difficulties in the counselling sessions.
Therapeutic commitment
As this is your therapy, regular attendance is of critical importance to the success of the therapeutic process. Broken or irregular attendance, except in exceptional circumstances, is not considered to be helpful to you in your therapy.
Your Participation in Therapy
Attending Counselling and Psychotherapy requires your commitment to engage with yourself and the therapist emotionally & psychologically. This commitment facilitates a deeper relationship where emotions and feelings may be intensified, experienced, explored, expressed and processed. This processing, along with the experience of being listened to, heard and understood, enables therapy to bring new understanding with meaning. You are invited to become an active participant in your therapy. You are asked to:
- Talk openly and freely about whatever comes into your mind without judgement as to its degree of relevance.
- Become more consciously aware of what goes through your mind.
- Reflect on your thoughts and feelings and reflect on each therapy session where your reflections provide a psychological space to be open to other or new possibility.
You are invited to co-operate in this way, where the therapists questioning will help steer your thinking.
If I do not like counselling
Sometimes counselling can be uncomfortable at the start and there is no magic cure. It can happen that things can feel worse before they get better. However, if you are prepared to examine your feelings, it may enable you to make more sense of the world around you.
I don’t have any major problems
Some people use counselling for personal development to look at improving skills in confidence, assertiveness and self esteem building. You may just want a listening ear to help you move forward in a different direction.
Commitment to the Counselling Process
Having made a decision to attend counselling and therapy, it is important that you develop a routine of attending regular sessions. This is because when you are dealing with personal issues, your consistency in attending will most likely help you maintain the commitment that is needed in order for you to work towards a satisfactory resolution of these issues.
Endings
This means that a decision to end counselling and therapy is best discussed in advance with the therapist so as to facilitate a satisfactory closure to the therapeutic relationship.
What about Confidentiality, will it be kept?
A high level of confidentiality is provided. This will be discussed at the initial session.
It would be professionally unethical of us to do otherwise. Your right to privacy, confidentiality, self-determination and autonomy will be respected, consistent with my other professional obligations and with the law. I undertake to treat in confidence personal information about clients, whether obtained directly or indirectly or by inference. Such information includes name, address, biographical details, and any descriptions of the client’s life and circumstances which might make the client identifiable by others
Payment of Fee
It is expected that the client will pay the fee after each session: if this does not suit alternative arrangements can be made at the request of the client. The therapist will give at least one month’s notice of any change in the fee.
Cancellation or change of appointment
Your appointment is your time and space to speak to your therapist. Consequently, it is important that, if you cannot attend, you provide sufficient notice of cancellation, as your space can not per scheduled for another client.
A minimum notice period is required in order to cancel a session. Where possible rescheduling a session to the day before or the day after the appointed day can be facilitated. This is strictly subject to the availability of appointment times.
Therapist Cancellation
Should it be necessary for the therapist to re-schedule a session the client will be notified at least a day in advance and every attempt will be made to offer an alternative appointment within the same week. Should it not be possible for the therapist or the client to re-schedule the session, the fee will not be payable.
Public Holidays
The standard public holidays will apply. Regarding individual seasonal holidays, it is expected that the therapist and the client will give at least two week’s notice.
Referrals from doctors
If you have been referred by your doctor, care agency or other professional, a standard letter of acknowledgement will be sent as a matter of courtesy, stating only that you have made the appointment. Should you prefer this letter not to be sent, please inform me within one day of your first appointment, and it will not be sent.
Code of Practice
As a Counsellor and as a member if IACP I undertake to:
- Respect the rights and dignity of my client, to treat them as persons of intrinsic worth with a right to determine their own priorities, to respect their dignity and to give due regard to their moral and cultural values.
- Treat as confidential all information obtained in the course of my work. As far as possible, I ensure that clients understand and consent to whatever professional action I may propose.
- To act in a trustworthy and reputable manner towards all my clients.
- To refer clients to colleagues and other professionals, as appropriate, to ensure the best service to clients.
- To act appropriately to resolve any ethical dilemmas and conflicts of interest.
SWORDS COUNSELLING PSYCHOTHERAPY PROVIDING THERAPUTIC HELP, SUPPORT AND CARE, WHERE COUNSELLING4U INCLUDES:
- SWORDS
- MALAHIDE
- PORTMARNOCK
- BALBRIGGAN
- SKERRIES
- RUSH
- LUSK
- BALLYMUN
- SANTRY
- COOLOCK
- ARTANE
- RAHENY
- BLANCHARDSTOWN
- FINGLAS
- BALLYBOUGHAL
- NAUL
- ASHBOURNE
- SLANE
- NAVAN
- DROGHEDA
- DUNDALK
- CASTLEKNOCK,
- BALDOYLE
- HOWTH
- SUTTON
- KILBARRACK