Swindon Counselling Service (SCS) has been working in Swindon and the surrounding area since 1987 to help people with personal, emotional, and relationship difficulties.
We provide counselling from 9am to 9pm on Mondays to Thursdays and from 9am to 5pm on Fridays.
Counselling is sometimes called 'Talking Therapy' because the benefit gained comes from the talking that takes place between you and your counsellor. Telling your counsellor about your problems helps you to be clear as to exactly what is the problem. This may sound simple but, very often, when we are having difficulties our thoughts whirl around in ever-decreasing circles. By explaining it all to someone who does not know any of the events or people involved, you may find yourself widening out your thinking again. This in itself can be helpful.
Your counsellor is trained in listening and will try to understand what you are saying, and feeling and will reflect this back to you so that you both come to understand the problem more clearly. You will not normally be given advice or opinions but will be offered an opportunity to look at your problems from several angles and decide for yourself what you would like to try and do about them. You will be helped to recognise and draw on your own strengths and resources and even perhaps discover new qualities you didn't know you had!
However counselling is not just about thinking. It is very much about expressing feelings. How you express your feelings is very personal and we all have individual ways of doing this. Being able to share how you feel about yourself and others with your counsellor and have your feelings heard and respected can be very helpful.
As you begin to understand and acknowledge your feelings you may be able to start changing patterns of behaviour which keep recurring and causing you difficulties. In order to understand your feelings you may need to look at the past and see where such feelings originated and how they developed. Your counsellor will be ready to explore this with you. Gradually, you may feel more clearly about yourself, your strengths, weaknesses, and needs and how these influence your feelings about yourself and your relationships with other people.
Your counsellor will help you think through how you might do something about your difficulties. This may be by taking actions of some kind or by changing your attitudes. You will be able to talk with your counsellor about the changes you begin to make in your life and to reflect on any necessary adjustments.
Men and women of all ages receive counselling for many different reasons. They may be feeling anxious or depressed, tense and insecure or dissatisfied with the quality of their relationships, or puzzled about their reactions to events or people. They may feel aimless, helpless, and useless or be experiencing difficulties of many kinds. They may be suffering bereavement or loss or struggling with traumas from the past, difficulties at work or want to understand themselves more.
Our counsellors will have had theoretical and experiential training and some are accredited members of national counselling organisations, such as BACP. Whilst some have their own private practices they offer their time voluntarily believing firmly in the ethos and value of supporting SCS.
This information is to help you decide what your financial contribution should be for each 50-minute counselling session. Individual circumstances will be taken into account and negotiation is possible if you are unable to afford the amount suggested.
The initial assessment fee for individual counselling is £40 and is paid at the assessment appointment and a receipt will be given to you. In cases of financial hardship, SCS will reduce this initial assessment fee to £15; please discuss this at the initial meeting. We accept cash and cheques. Please allow at least 1½ hours for this appointment. The first ten minutes of the session will involve completing a few forms. If you feel that this might be difficult, please discuss this when you contact us to make the appointment for the initial assessment.
Client fees are essential to enable SCS, a charity, to continue to offer professional counselling. The fee for individual counselling is £40 - £35 per individual session; a larger contribution is expected if you consider yourself to be on a good income, with assets or part of a double income household. In cases of financial hardship SCS is able to offer clients counselling at a reduced rate. if you are in receipt of benefits (Job Seekers Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Income Support etc), please discuss this at the initial assessment meeting.
A preliminary discussion regarding your contribution will take place in the Initial assessment appointment, the fee you pay for your ongoing counselling will be confirmed with your counsellor when you begin regular sessions.
All fees are reviewed regularly in line with changes in your financial circumstances and/or cost of living, in consultation with your counsellor.
SCS charges the amount agreed for missed or cancelled sessions unless previously discussed with your counsellor. Unpaid sessions result in loss of much-needed income for the SCS.
The regular weekly appointment time is yours for the duration of your counselling contract.
If you would like to register for counselling with SCS, please contact us on 01793 514550.
Counselling is confidential and private. This means that we will not give any information about you to any one outside SCS (for example relatives, solicitors, or other Agencies), unless someone's personal safety is at risk. If you would like more information about this please speak to the assessment counsellor or your own counsellor.
We aim to provide a professional, caring, and efficient service. If you want to comment about any part of the service you receive, please contact the Director of Services at SCS. We have a written complaints procedure, available on request, and abide by the BACP Ethical framework for good practice in counselling and psychotherapy.
In order to monitor the service we provide, you will be given a questionnaire to complete during the initial assessment meeting and during your last session. We would encourage you to complete and return them so that we can evaluate the effectiveness of our service provision.
Swindon Counselling Service has a policy of Equal Opportunities both in the service it provides and in its employment practice. The Equal Opportunities policy is available upon request.
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