What is counselling?
Counselling is a process that focuses on enhancing the psychological well-being of the client, such that the client is then able to reach their full potential. This is achieved by the counsellor facilitating your personal growth, development, and self-understanding, which in turn empowers you to adopt more constructive life practices.
Counselling may be helpful in a number of ways. It can enable you to develop a clearer understanding of your concerns and help you acquire new skills to better manage personal and educational issues. The counsellor can offer a different perspective and help you think of creative solutions to problems. Sharing your thoughts and feelings with someone not personally involved in your life can be most helpful.
Confidentiality
Your counsellor treats all the information you share as confidential material. The counsellors are involved in case consultations and supervision for the purposes of best practice. These meetings involve discussion of clients concerns with the aim of formulating the best possible assessment and intervention plan. Where possible, the identifying personal information is removed from the discussion.
Restrictions on the release of information
Information that you share with your counsellor will not be released to anyone outside Student Services without your prior written permission, except under certain unusual and rare circumstances as indicated by relevant State and Commonwealth legislation to which the University complies. These restrictions are detailed in the Student Services Confidentiality and Privacy Policy. Please feel free to discuss with your counsellor any concerns you have regarding confidentiality.
The counselling process
The counselling process will depend on the individual counsellor, the individual client and the specific issue. However, there is a general counselling process that the counsellors will follow:
- Background information collection
- Identification of core issues
- Case formulation
- Goal setting for the therapeutic process
- Implementation of intervention
- Evaluation of intervention
- Closure
Prior to the initial interview, reception staff will ask you to complete a personal data sheet. During your initial interview, the counsellor will discuss your concerns with you, and explore with you alternative services if indicated. By the end of the initial interview you and your counsellor may decide on one of the following options:
- no further counselling is required at this time, if during the initial interview you have been able to clarify your concerns and plan an appropriate course of action.
- further appointments are needed to continue to explore the issues before reaching a decision. A second appointment will be made with you either by the counsellor or by reception.
- alternative services are appropriate and the counsellor will assist you to identify specific resources to consider and pursue.
Differing counselling approaches
Counsellors work from differing theoretical approaches. Different counsellors will place varying levels of emphasis on behaviour, on thinking and/or on emotional aspects. All counsellors have the central goal to assist you in increasing your sense of well-being.
Length of counselling
Change doesn't happen quickly for most of us. The length of treatment depends on a number of variables. Variables include: the severity of the problem, the motivation of the client, the type of problem and the age of the client. The more focused and limited the problem being addressed, the shorter treatment can be. The more the treatment addresses healing emotional injuries, the longer it is likely to take.
Satisfaction
If you feel dissatisfied with any aspect of the Counselling Services, you are encouraged to discuss your concerns with the Senior Counsellor.