Coming in for counselling can be intimidating, especially if it is your first time. Here’s what you can expect when you book a session with one of our counsellors.

How long are sessions?

Our sessions are usually 50 minutes to an hour. For children, we keep our sessions shorter, at 45 minutes.

What is the purpose of a counselling session?

That is up to you. Some people have very specific goals they want to achieve through counselling, and are looking for support around a challenging situation, a crisis, a goal or an event. If that’s you, your counsellor can offer specific advice and support as you navigate the situation.

Others are looking for more open-ended support, perhaps needing someone to talk to to feel understood, while others may be looking to improve their quality of life, to understand themselves or their relationships better, or to overcome more long-running challenges. If that’s you, your counsellor can support you to find a path forward.

Either way, our first sessions are focused on getting to know you and what your hopes are for counselling, and working together with your counsellor to find a way forward.

How is counselling more valuable than just talking with a friend?

Your counsellor is someone unbiased, with no previous assumptions about you, your relationships or your situation. They can help you see another perspective, and provide support without strings attached.

Your counsellor can also help you find tools that might help you navigate the challenges or situations you are dealing with. They may help you understand another perspective, or help you better understand yourself and what may be underlying the problems you experience. They can provide both support and accountability as you work together toward your hopes or goals.

How frequent are sessions, and how many sessions will I need?

That is also up to you. We usually recommend sessions start weekly, in order to build the supportive connection with your counsellor and allow the flow of the work to develop and grow, with relevance to your life. Sessions could also be fortnightly or monthly, as your schedule allows.

We would usually recommend six to ten sessions, but that can also vary depending on your hopes for the sessions. Throughout the process we review and evaluate how it’s going, and adapt our approach based on your needs.

Can I ask for a different counsellor after I start my sessions?

Absolutely. Each counsellor has their own skill set, and follows their own style of counselling. It’s important that their style is the right fit for you, and that you can build trust and a strong connection, in order to get the most out of the counselling process.

It is your right to ask for a different counsellor at any point during the process, for any reason. We will do our best to accommodate any requests, although this may come with delays or require changes to booked session times etc.

Are the things I talk about kept confidential?

The relationship between you and your counsellor is a confidential one, and your privacy is protected both by law and by our strict policies designed to guard your privacy and the things you choose to share.

Your counsellor will take notes, but no sessions are recorded without your written consent. Everything you speak about with your counsellor is kept strictly confidential, with the only exception being if your counsellor believes disclosing information could prevent a serious threat to your life or health, or that of someone else, or a threat to public health or safety.

What kind of issues can counselling help with?

Through counselling, we can provide tools and support to help you through personal challenges, including anger, stress and burnout, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, fear, guilt or shame, self-esteem and body image, trauma or PTSD, and thoughts of self harm or suicide.

We can provide support navigating relationships, including those with parents, children or teens, in the workplace, within wider social settings. We can provide couples counselling or individual support navigating intimate relationships, including support through a separation or divorce.

We can support you through challenging events in life, including grief and loss, trauma, medical or health challenges, pregnancy or post-natal depression, parenting, relationship breakdowns, social issues, workplace challenges, or navigating significant changes in your life.

Some challenges may require support beyond the scope of what we can provide, or outside the expertise of your counsellor. In that case, we help to connect you with a person or service that can help.

By choosing to use our services, you’re helping our community.

When you choose to use our counselling service, you are supporting our community work at Te Whare Awhero.

We believe counselling can play a vital part in helping people through the challenges they face, and can help to improve our lives in many ways. But it’s sometimes needed most at times in life when people can least afford it.

In 2022 alone our team at Te Whare Awhero donated more than $277,500 in social value and services to the community, including free or subsidized counselling sessions, children’s counselling sessions in schools, supporting working families with before and after school care, sponsoring local children to achieve their goals, and supporting people in the community through many kinds of challenges.

This work doesn’t add anything to the cost of your session, as it is largely paid for through grants and donations. But by choosing to visit our counsellors, you play a vital role in helping us keep the lights on and continue the great work we are doing in our community.

How do I get to my session?

Our office is on Main South Rd, directly opposite The Hub Hornby mall. Limited parking is available directly in front of our office, or free street parking available around the corner on Goulding Ave. We’re also very accessible by bus, with many routes stopping at Hornby Mall. We are also able to provide online sessions if needed.