Counselling Services
Private Counselling Services.
The services I offer include emotional support, stress management, relationship guidance, strategies and coping skills, information and if required, referral. I offer counselling for people dealing with issues such as depression, anxiety, relationship issues, change of life (preparing to start a family, divorce, preparing to retire, becoming empty nesters, caring for elderly relatives, etc.)
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Do you have staff members who could benefit from counselling sessions? Perhaps there is something difficult happening in their personal lives, or possibly there has been an incident within the workplace that has unsettled some of your staff. I offer sessions on an ad-hoc basis for your staff via telephone, Microsoft Teams or in person (if they wish to travel to my office in Dingley Village). A minimum of 2 sessions is recommended, as this give the staff member one session to explain the issues from their perspective, and we can explore some strategies to resolve the issues. The second session is usually where we can see how the strategies are working, and I can continue to support the person through their continued engagement in their work place. Occasionally a staff member will require further sessions, usually only when there have been extreme issues to be resolved.
Loss & Grief Counselling.
My special area of expertise is Loss and Grief. When people think “Loss and Grief” they tend to immediately think of the loss and grief involved with Death. Whilst that is certainly one area where loss and grief occur, it is not the only one. As we travel through life we all experience many forms of loss. For some people it is the loss of dreams and hopes, to the loss of youth as we age. Certainly the loss of loved ones, through death, perhaps grandparents and parents; unexpected deaths from accidents or suicide. To the losses experienced by parents as their children grow up and leave home.
Many people experience the loss of careers, often through no fault of their own. Due to company restructuring or in some cases through retrenchment and company closures. Whilst it is not often spoken about, there are also many losses associated with retirement, which can take some adjusting too. Suddenly the daily routine of getting up, having breakfast, getting dressed and travelling to work is gone. So is the routine of a job that fills in the hours between 9am and 5pm, not to mention the loss of the relationship we all have with our co-workers. While we may do our best to maintain those friendships outside of work, it is difficult as the retired person is no longer really “one of the team” anymore.
Adjusting to retirement, be it by choice or by retrenchment, for some people, is one of the hardest lifestyle changes they have to make. Sometimes it is not only the retired person who has difficulty with this, but their family members as well. For a woman who has had her husband working full time, while she has perhaps worked part time and then had a few hours or a day or two to herself each week. Suddenly she finds that her husband is home all day, and if he has not made plans for things to do in his retirement, he can spend his days following her around wondering what to do, and moving himself into her daily routine. This can cause friction within the relationship, and make for a challenging start to retirement for both partners.
These are the kind of losses that people frequently struggle with, and counselling is an excellent tool to use to work through the losses, and move towards a fulfilling and enjoyable future.
Another group that benefit from counselling are people who are entering into Aged Care. It can be quite a shock to their system, moving from a home they have lived in for 30 years or more, to suddenly find themselves living in Aged Care, without their familiar furniture, paintings and ornaments etc. Not to mention perhaps being moved away from a suburb where they knew their way around and had many friends. Counselling allows this group of people to vent their anger and or fear in a safe way, not directed at their family or Aged Care staff. They can talk through their feelings and can begin to settle in to their new home and find a new a new kind of “normal”, whilst their family can rest easy knowing that their loved one is in a facility where they get meals prepared for them, staff ensure they take their medication and they have many and varied activities to keep them safely occupied.
Pre-Marital Counselling.
I offer sessions with couples to go over some of the issues, that in all the excitement of planning a wedding can be overlooked. Things like finances, having children, extended family issues, careers and communication styles. There are many things to consider before embarking on the next step of life as a married couple and if you can talk things through before the big day your marriage stands a much better chance of being a long and enjoyable union.
Funeral Planning.
Long before I became a counsellor, I worked in Funeral Service. I understand the desire people have to spare their loved ones the stress of arranging a funeral. I also understand that some people are simply not able to have a conversation with their loved ones as to what their final wishes are. But I have also witnessed, first hand the stress and anguish family members suffer when they have no idea what their deceased loved one wanted. Did they want to be buried or cremated? Did they want a church service or would a service at their local Yacht Club where they were a member for 40 years be more appropriate? The questions can be endless.
I can sit with you and help you work out exactly what you would like for the final celebration of your life. Together we can gather the information that will be required to register the death with Births, Deaths and Marriages which will take a lot of pressure off your family. Then we can work through the many options available to you and document your wishes. Of course you don’t need to decide on every detail if you don’t want to, You can always leave some decisions for your family to make. But at least this way they will have a good idea of what your final wishes are.
I do NOT work for Funeral Directors and will not advise you to choose one over another. Who you choose is entirely up to you. The sole purpose of pre-planning your funeral is to take the burden off your family and to make a difficult time, slightly less stressful for them.
It usually takes between 1 & 2 hours to do a pre-arranged funeral and costs $150.00
Please feel free to contact me for further information