About counselling
Talking to a counsellor doesn't mean failure, not coping or feeling inadequate. It's about looking after yourself.
How does counselling help?
Caring can be rewarding, but it can also be stressful and difficult. Many carers experience complicated feelings related to their role as a carer. Emotions like anger, depression, anxiety, loneliness, loss and grief are very common.
Your family and friends can provide important support but you may find it helpful to talk with an objective professional who is not emotionally involved with you or the person you are caring for.
Our carer counselling program can link you to a qualified professional who understands the problems that caring families often face.
You can talk to us by yourself or include your partner and other family members.
We can help you:
- Deal with overwhelming and confusing feelings
- Make sense of your experiences as a carer
- Work out your own needs and solve problems
- Manage conflict, stress and other emotional factors that make caring more difficult
- Build resilience and cope with change
- Improve your mental, emotional and physical wellbeing
How does it work?
There may be a small fee to use our counselling program, however in many instances, the fee is waivered.
You can use the service if you provide care and support to a family member or friend who is frail and elderly, has dementia, a mental illness, a disability, chronic illness or complex needs, or receives palliative care. We can also provide counselling if you have recently stopped providing care (if the person you care for has moved into residential care, for example, or has passed away).
We can provide short-term counselling (usually five sessions) that will mainly focus on issues related to your caring role. You can re-enter counselling after a break or if there is something new that you need to deal with.
Our counsellors work across metropolitan and rural regions of South Australia. Counselling may be face to face or by phone and counsellors that speak languages other than English are available in some areas.
Download our counselling brochure for more information.
Arrange a referral
You can contact our advisory service to discuss your needs. Our qualified staff can assess your eligibility and link you with services.
You can also ask your GP, case manager, service provider, support worker or a family member to make a referral with your consent.
Your confidentiality and privacy
Our counselling program is completely confidential and we handle the personal information you share with us according to the legal standards set by government. Read our privacy policy for more information.