Intake and informed consent

What counselling is

Professional counselling is a confidential collaboration between a qualified counsellor and a client, to support mental health and wellbeing, build self-understanding and resolve concerns. You are an active participant at every stage. (PACFA Scope of Practice for Registered Counsellors 2018, p.2)

People come to counselling for a wide variety of reasons, and I look forward to hearing yours. We are all different, with our own histories, perceptions and expectations, so outcomes vary widely. I cannot promise any particular outcome from the counselling process, but I can assure you that I am committed to best practice with you in resolving your concerns.

By its nature, counselling can touch on parts of your life that stir up a wide range of feelings and reactions. If that happens, please tell me, so that I can support you properly.

Getting the most out of it

• Aim to attend every scheduled session.
• Be prepared to share your thoughts and feelings openly with me.
• Complete any out-of-session tasks we agree to.
• When unsure, ask for clarification about any of the counselling activities we are doing, and raise any doubts or concerns with me.

My qualifications and approach

I hold a master’s degree in counselling and national registration as a PACFA-registered Registered Clinical Counsellor, and I am listed on the Australian Register of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (ARCAP). As a PACFA member I am subject to a range of professional and ethical requirements, and I practise within the PACFA Code of Ethics and my state government’s Code of Conduct for unregistered health professionals.

I consider the relationship between us to be central to the work. I aim to provide a respectful and non-judgemental setting in which your experience is understood and valued. My approach is integrated and trauma-informed, drawing on a range of theory to understand how change and growth happen, including human development, personality and character, patterns of attachment, and contemporary psychodynamic theory.

Having completed Level 3 Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy, I want you to know that I am completely independent in providing you with clinical services, and I alone am fully responsible for them. The Gottman Institute and its agents have no responsibility for the services you receive.

Hours

My consulting hours are 9:00am to 5:00pm most days, and I work until 8:00pm on a few days each week. There is a limited after-hours service on Tuesday and Thursday evenings between 5:00pm and 8:00pm, and some Saturdays, for which appointments can be made.

Sessions

A typical counselling session is 60 minutes. How often we meet depends on you and on what you have brought, but I do recommend an initial commitment of three to five appointments, preferably weekly or fortnightly. Other options are available. Please talk to me.

Sessions are offered in person or by telehealth. Where we meet by phone or video, we both agree that:

• We each have a confidential space where we will not be interrupted, which may or may not mean using a headset.
• Neither of us will record the session.
• We will both aim, as far as we are able, to have a reliable connection.

Fees and cancellations

Please give at least 2 days’ notice if you can’t attend. Cancelling with less than 24 hours’ notice incurs a 75% fee.

Fees are payable at the time of the appointment by direct debit or credit card. Please ask me if you need another payment arrangement.

Current fees are on the fees page. Private health insurance rebates may be available. Please ask.

Privacy and confidentiality

Australian Government privacy legislation applies to personal information collected about an individual that could be used to identify them, directly or indirectly. Your right to privacy includes confidentiality.

What we discuss in sessions is confidential and will not be shared with anyone without your written permission, except where I am legally obliged:

• To report a serious and imminent threat to the life, health or property of yourself or another person.
• To report abuse or neglect experienced by a young person under the age of 18.
• To release client records when required by a court order.

Confidential written records are kept, reflecting the issues and goals identified in our sessions, and held securely for seven years.

See also the privacy policy for how this website handles information you send through it.

Note-taking

I may use Heidi to take notes. It complies with the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles, as well as PACFA’s code of ethics. I record notes under your first name only; the record is deleted once the necessary information has been placed into my session notes, and Heidi deletes anything remaining three days after the session. You have the right to decline my use of Heidi, and that is entirely your call.

My own supervision

I have an ethical responsibility to reflect on my practice. As part of that, I may discuss my work with you with my clinical supervisor. In those conversations, what is presented is de-identified.