Frequently asked questions about Counselling and Therapy
Is Counselling with Thinkful right for me?
Today more than ever, more people are finding it challenging to manage their work and home life demands, which lets be honest are just unrealistic. We frequently have to deal with high levels of daily stress, which negatively affects our physical and mental health. Most of our common physical ailments, such as headaches, digestive problems, high blood pressure, insomnia, can be attributed to our daily stress levels. The same is true for many of our psychological issues, including anger, irritability, depression and anxiety.
We all know that finding ways to lower our stress levels is important for our overall health and longevity but when self care techniques (diet, exercise, meditation) don’t seem to be working, seeking time with a therapist can be beneficial.
You don’t need a referral from your GP or a mental health plan, you are in control of your time with us.
We work with you on all aspects of your life. It can be personal issues, relationship or couple challenges, family problems, career or workplace concerns, loss or grief situations. Whatever you are facing we’re here to help and support you through it.
What happens in our counselling sessions?
Most people feel quite nervous about the first session – this is normal and its why we offer a first introductory chat for free so we can make sure all your questions are covered.
The first session is about getting to know each other and exploring what’s on your mind. We’ll cover the necessary information such as confidentiality, how we work and start to formulate a plan together. Your next sessions are driven by you, we can go as fast or as slow as you like. We can cover a few things in one session or you might like to focus on one particular issue, this will always be guided by you and how you’re feeling.
How many counselling sessions will I need?
Again this is your choice. Thinkful provides full flexibility for you to select the length of session and the frequency. You may come weekly to begin with and then move to monthly or every 6 months. We know life has ups and downs and we’re here alongside you for all of it.
What if I need more help?
We have a wide network of alternative practitioners (crisis counsellors, psychologists, psychiatrists etc.) If we feel your needs require more than we can provide we will give you the option to have a referral and a choice of who you’d like to select. We can either work alongside them or you may choose to come back to us at another time.
If you require urgent assistance please call 000
What if I need to cancel or reschedule our session?
If you can’t make it to an appointment, instead of cancelling and incurring a cancellation fee, please consider the suitability of keeping the scheduled appointment but swapping to an online or phone consultation
How to Cancel - (Cancellations must be received 24 business hours in advance)
You can call /text 0430018185. If we are busy in a session, please leave us a voice message
You can click the ‘Appointment Link’ in your appointment confirmation emails
You can email info@thinkful.com.au
Why see a counsellor/therapist rather than using Medicare, Private Health Insurance or Employee Assistance Programs?
You want privacy: When using Medicare or Private Health Insurance, your private information, (presenting issues, treatment plan, progress reports) are available to the insurance company and, at times, to employers. Once you have a ‘Mental Health Plan’ it becomes part of your health records forever. When you pay for counselling/therapy there is no loss of privacy to third party companies.
You want to choose your own therapist: Many employers and insurance companies limit your choice of counsellor/therapist. You should be able to choose your counsellor/therapist personally and choose to avoid seeing a someone with a potential conflict of interest.
You want to choose the type and length of your treatment: Most EAP providers only support short style therapy (3-6 sessions). The majority of people require more sessions than this to provide long lasting change. Seeing a counsellor/therapist is preferable for most people in order to receive the type and length of treatment required to suit your needs.