Adult Counselling
Referrals are now closed. We will reopen to new referrals on Monday 3 March at 10am
Please note: Due to demand, we are limited to being able to accept 10 new adult counselling referrals each month. Once we have reached this limit, we will close to new referrals.
How can this service help?
Counselling gives you the opportunity to talk to someone about your experiences and how they affect you. We aim to help you understand and deal with any issues you have been left with, and to enable you to feel stronger, safer and more positive about your future.
Currently, the majority of our counselling is held in the evening, and is provided weekly, on a one-to-one basis. Face-to-face counselling sessions are held at our Guildford office, or we offer remote sessions via video call.
What can I expect?
If you're unsure if counselling is for you, listen to one of our counsellors, Sophie explain what you can expect:
Once you have contacted us, we will arrange for you to meet with a counsellor for an initial assessment. These assessments are held virtually and are designed to find out whether counselling would be helpful to you. We will also discuss with you the length of counselling you need with us, and whether you would prefer your sessions to be online or in person.
After your assessment, you will be invited to attend one of our regular introductory groups. This programme consists of seven one and a half hour weekly sessions, which will offer you the opportunity to:
- better understand the impact of trauma (specifically from sexual violence)
- learn some techniques for managing nightmares, flashbacks, intense emotions and poor sleep,
- feel less isolated,
- plan some positive changes in your life, and provide information about other resources available,
- think about how you can make best use of the one-to-one counselling we offer (if you decide to go ahead with this).
For some, attending the introductory group provides enough support. Others can feel they would benefit from further individual counselling. If this is the case, you will remain on our waiting list for one-to-one counselling.
Making a donation
Our counselling service is provided free of charge. However, if you are able to support us by providing a donation towards the cost of your counselling then this will help us to ensure the sustainability of the service and meet the growing demand.
There is absolutely no obligation to give, and we will offer counselling whether or not you would like to donate.
If you would like to make a donation, please visit our donation page.
Thank you.
