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eNEWSLETTER
January 2006

Our Mission Statement:
"Providing a range of innovative professional services, empowering our clients to positively address issues affecting their lives."

Happy New Year! Welcome to the first edition of the Clayfield Counselling Services newsletter for 2006. This month, we decided that instead of focussing on the usual New Year topics such as dieting and resolutions, we would take a closer look at the field of counselling and some of the myths and misconceptions that our clients often question us about.

Why is there confusion about counselling qualifications?

The confusion about counselling qualifications arises because there are currently no regulations regarding minimum qualifications for counsellors. Here at Clayfield Counselling Services all of our counsellors, social workers, social scientists and psychologists, have university degrees and are registered with an official body (AASW, QCA, PACFA or APS). Our social workers and social scientists specialised in counselling subjects during their university studies and have continued to expand their repertoire with further study in specialised areas.

Our counsellors will use a range of therapies with their clients such as; solution focus therapy, client centred therapy, transactional analysis as well as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). This means that the counsellor will work closely with each individual client and will devise a plan to suit the individual client’s needs.

From a counselling point of view, psychologists must be registered by the Psychology Board of Queensland. They may not practice if they are not registered. Psychological counselling focuses on analysis, statistics and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). However, our psychologists have also participated in further studies to bring a more holistic approach to their counselling.

So no matter whether you see a counsellor or psychologist with Clayfield Counselling Services you can rest assured that the counsellor has university qualifications, is registered and is highly skilled in order to meet your needs.

Which counsellor is best for me?

The best thing to do if you’re unsure about who to see is to contact us and explain which issues you’d like to work on. We can then make an appointment for you with the most appropriate counsellor.

One factor which often influences whether a client sees a psychologist or counsellor is whether or not they have private health insurance as only psychologists are covered by private health. Please see below for more information.

It is important that our clients feel comfortable and are able to build a rapport with their counsellor so wherever possible we make sure that you see the same counsellor every time you come. Occasionally a situation will arise where a counsellor will refer their client to another of our counsellors for a time in order to deal with a specific issue; such as when a client requires EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for example.

If you require both couple counselling and individual counselling you are also likely to see different counsellors; you’ll see one counsellor together for couple counselling and another counsellor for individual counselling. This ensures that both clients feel safe, are treated equally and without bias.

What about Psychiatry?

Psychiatrists have a medical degree and are able to prescribe medication such as anti depressants. Many people dislike the idea of taking medication for mental illness due to a fear that they will either become addicted or that they will experience unpleasant side effects.

Some psychiatrists do provide counselling but many focus only on prescribing medication. A client usually requires a doctor’s referral to see a psychiatrist. We recommend that clients come to see a counsellor at Clayfield Counselling Services for assessment before they take the medical route and our highly experienced counsellors can then recommend a client sees a psychiatrist or GP if they believe it will be of benefit to the client.

Sometimes medication is helpful or even necessary but often counselling can go a long way to deal with the underlying issues without clients having to resort to medication.

I’ve got private health insurance- can I claim for my counselling sessions?

If you are seeing a psychologist you can usually claim for your counselling sessions. Speak with your insurer for full details.
Unfortunately, you are unable to claim if you see any of our other counsellors. We think this is unfair to our clients as all of our counsellors have university degrees and are highly qualified and experienced. Along with PACFA, we are doing our best to change this senseless prejudice and if you have private health insurance and are unable to claim for your counselling expenses at this time, we encourage you to contact your insurer and ask that they rethink their current policies regarding this situation.

HICAPS is here

We have some exciting news for our private health clients. We are pleased to inform you that HICAPS is now available at Clayfield Counselling Services. You are now able to claim the amount of the bill that is covered by your insurer immediately after your session here in our office and all you need to pay is the gap. Please contact us if you require further information.

Some interesting links

Office hours are from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. After hours and Saturday appointments are available on request.

Until next time then...

"There are, in every age, new errors to be rectified and new prejudices to be opposed." - Samuel Johnson

 

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