How we can help

Counselling

“I feel less stressed and more happy because I have dealt with the underlying issues.”

Counselling

Talk for change – Dunedin and Central Otago.

If you have a low mood, struggling with life’s chores, feeling upset or angry, unable to stop a bad habit, finding yourself in a very difficult situation, grieving a major change in your life like the loss of a job, a loved one, a relationship, then talking about it could help.

Talking about things that matter in a confidential environment really helps. It can help you understand what happened in your past to help stop it impacting badly on your present. It can help you clarify your goals for the future and shaping plans about how you might achieve them. It can help in exploring ways to go about changing present behaviours.

We offer individual counselling, couple counselling and the chance to explore and find help with grief through the group programme seasons for growth.

Individual Counselling

• What challenges life is offering to you at the moment or may have in the past

• What abilities and strengths you have to manage these challenges

• Ideas, strategies, values or beliefs that will help you manage the challenges life gives you.

“I feel less stressed and more happy because I have dealt with the underlying issues.”

“I feel calmer and more in control of myself in regards to how I deal with life events.”

“There is significantly less stress in my life.”

“I’ve stopped giving myself a hard time for mistakes I made in the past.”

“I have changed the way I think to being more positive and applying that to everyday situations.”

“The kids respond better when I can stay calm. We started to work together. It is more organised. Learning about respecting each other and putting concequences into place.”

Relationship Counselling

• Managing how to work with your differences

• How to build a respectful and safe partnership

• Meeting each others needs with respect

• Making your family a great place for your kids

• How to finish well if things have gone to far

• Our counsellors are trained by the Gottman institute, a research based method of providing the best support for couples (find out more here).

“We can talk about things easier and the arguments don’t get as elevated. I have noticed I appreciate my wife’s positive qualities more.”

“While the underlying issues are still being ‘worked on’, I have noticed a decrease in negativity, and and negative perspectives around the other partners motives – and therefore, less ‘judgement’ & disagreements/conflicts.”

“More laughter, less tension. More fun. Less blame, more freedom. More support, honesty, physical affection. So much has improved!”

“Our children are more calmer knowing we are a team as parents. Much more vibrant, energetic, happy, settled, able to cope with thier own challenges more. Getting a lot of comments from kindy/school how much more happier, calmer, confident children they are/have become recently.”

“It is way less tense and a place I now want to come home to and a place I want to be and share time with my family.”

Seasons For Growth

Season for Growth is a programme for children or adults that helps them understand how grief is impacting on them and how to make some changes. You can find out more about the programme here (good grief website), as well as running some courses, we also can train other community professionals in how to deliver this programm or other associated programmes such as Stormbirds for communities that have suffered major losses together – e.g. after a fire, flood or earthquake.

Seasons for Growth

• If you are interested in being trained to run this programme in your community – please get in touch.

What you can expect

“I have changed the way I think to being more positive and applying that to everyday situations. The kids respond better when I can stay calm. We started to work together. It is more organised. Learning about respecting each other and putting concequences into place.”

1. A call

To be called by one of our counsellors – they will talk to you about what you wish to get out of coming along. They will also ask you some questions about you that form part of our confidential record to help us understand you and your needs and to help us in raising funding to pay for this service. You are welcome to check that we have your details correct.

2. Set an appointment

The counsellor will also give you and idea about when we might be able to offer you an appointment which will depend upon how busy we are at the time. They will also talk to you about how much you might be able to contribute to the cost of this service. No one is turned away if they cannot pay

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3. Intake with counsellor

When you have an appointment, you will be met at our office by the counsellor who will let you know a little about themselves and how they work. They will explain about our policy of confidentiality, paramountcy and clarify the sort of work they will cover with you. You will then be asked to sign a consent form.

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4. Ten Sessions

Initially we will offer you ten sessions of counselling and then renegotiate with you if you feel you need any more. Some people find they only need a couple of sessions to help them get back on the path. Whatever works for you, just let your counsellor know.

5. Records

While at counselling, our counsellors will take some notes and record this on our secure and confidential client management system provided by Paua Software. This is to help them clarify what it is might work with you and provide some accountability to their practice.

6. Evaluation

At the end of Counselling we will ask you to fill in an evaluation form to help both you and us clarify what it is that counselling achieved.

Get in touch

Locations

Central Otago:
Alexandra Community House
14/20 Centennial Ave
Alexandra 9320

Dunedin:
42 Macandrew Road
P O Box 2047
South Dunedin 9044

Phone

General:
0800 CSSNOW or 0800277669

Dunedin:
(03) 455 3838

Central Otago:
(03) 448 5385

 

Office hours

Monday 9.00am - 5.00pm
Tuesday 9.00am - 5.00pm
Wednesday 10.30am - 5.00pm
Thursday 9.00am - 5.00pm
Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm
Saturday & Sunday closed

Find us at 42 Macandrew Road, right across the car park from the South Dunedin Catholic Church (see photos below). Plenty of space inside and outside for spending time with your kids.