Our Services

The Centre has been working with people in the community for over 20 years. Our ethos at the Centre has always been that:

Clients are referred to us for counselling or psychotherapy by GPs, social workers, teachers, counsellors, ex-clients, friends etc. If the client is over 18 we expect them to make the final contact themselves around arranging an appointment. We are happy to accept enquiries for information on our services from friends or relatives and are happy to provide details for them to pass on.

Written permission to attend counselling from both parents is required if a client is under 18 years. Confidentiality for minors and its limits is also outlined for the child and the parents.

Our self-referral form can be downloaded here. As soon as we receive this from the client or the parent/guardian of a minor we can set up an initial appointment.

There are some instances which may require referral to other services. These include: Drug or alcohol addiction, Eating disorders, Gambling, Clients who engage in sexual and/or physical abuse, Clients who are in a very fragile state and who may need to be hospitalised for a period of time, Clients who are unable to take care of themselves between sessions and may need therapy within a more protected residential environment. Referral to an outside agency, contact number and support around this will be provided if necessary.

The full cost of each session is 60 Euro. However the Centre operates a sliding scale, so as to make the service available to all. A client will pay what they can afford. This will be discussed and agreed upon during the initial appointment with the counsellor.

In order to serve the community in this way we rely on those who are financially able to pay full fee to do so. Please note that all client fees go directly to the charity (Registration No: 8911)

Once a client sends us our self-referral form we can set up an initial appointment. A time for an initial session is usually provided within a week to 10 days. Obviously this is different at Christmas, Easter or during Summer Break but clients are informed about waiting times.

An initial assessment usually happens in 1-3 sessions. Each session last 1 hour. Issues explored include the client needs, confidentiality and its limits. Then we give time to the client to start talking about his/her presenting problems. Counsellors undertaking initial assessment are fully qualified and as well as engaging with the client they explore self care, social support and assess whether the client is currently experiencing crisis.

Working with the client, counsellors give information and also assess whether the services offered by The Centre will match the clients needs. At the end of the initial assessment client and counsellor agree the next step for example the length of the waiting period before ongoing appointments are offered and details around session fees.

Crisis Intervention If clients are in crisis they are taken on immediately for crisis intervention work. When the crisis has been resolved they may then go on the waiting list for ongoing work. Ongoing Appointments This begins as soon as possible after the initial assessment. Due to limited resources there will be some waiting period. Following this initial meeting you will begin on-going sessions where you will be meeting the same professional counsellor on an ongoing basis. (This may not be the same counsellor you meet in your initial meeting). Together with your ongoing counsellor you will agree on the nature and length of your contract. A session is generally 1 hour per week and it is very important that you attend your arranged appointment. Cancellation of Appointments If you need to cancel a session, please let us know at least 24 hours in advance. Otherwise you will have to pay your regular fee for the missed appointment as we are unable to fill the space at short notice.