Meet with a professionally trained person to talk about things that are worrying you.
What is it?
Support services to help you through your problems. This may include help with anxiety and depression which you may be feeling as a result of difficult experiences in your life like trauma, family problems, relationship difficulties, stress or having recently had someone close to you die.
Who can access this service?
Anyone over 12 years of age
Cost
It’s free
Do I need a referral?
Yes, you will need a referral for counselling. You can refer yourself to the service.
Call us or attend our drop-in support in Coburg.
Location
Make a booking
Call 1300 637 744 (MERRI H).
More information
How can counselling help me?
Talking to a counsellor can help you:
- Feel less anxious
- Become clearer about what you want to do
- Find options that you may not have thought about
- Try out new ways of dealing with problems
- Feel more in control of your life
We can also:
- Help you to find out about other services
- Support you with parenting and stress management groups
- Visit you at home, in special circumstances
Is it private?
Yes, our service is confidential and respectful of your needs, circumstances and culture.
At what time can I see a counsellor?
Our counselling service is available Monday to Friday from 9am – 5pm
I don't speak English. Can you still help me?
Yes, we have counsellors that speak:
- Chinese Mandarin
- Turkish
Do you offer interpreters?
Interpreters can be arranged for other languages.
What can I expect at my first appointment?
A friendly, professionally trained counsellor, who will have a conversation with you about privacy and confidentiality and its limitation, and who will be interested in hearing why you’ve come seeking counselling.
The first appointment is the beginning of an engagement process whereby your counselor will be gathering information to better understand you and your situation so that they can guide the kind of conversation that will be most helpful to you.
What’s the difference between seeing a counsellor and psychologist?
A counsellor is a general term referring to someone provides psychological interventions. A counsellor may come from a various professional disciplines, such as psychology and social work.
A psychologist is a registered profession that requires the practitioner to hold specific qualifications that are required for registration.
Can I get ongoing assistance from a counsellor?
Counselling services at Merri Health are time-limited. Our counsellors offer short to medium term interventions focus on goals you have agreed on. You may return again in future for another series of counseling if the same issue persists or new issues arise.
Counsellors can also support you to find and access other resources in the community that may be helpful.
How can you help me deal with sad thoughts?
It is normal to experience a range of emotions, including sadness when faced with life’s challenges. While counsellors cannot make those sad thoughts go away, they will support you to safely express your feelings, talk about your thoughts and help you to understand what they mean for you. This is part of developing a positive therapeutic counselling relationship.
How do I encourage a family member to get counselling?
Counselling is a voluntary process, and no one can be forced to attend counselling.
You can support them to understand that counselling is a safe, respectful process aiming to resolve problems and feel better. You can be kind and gentle and give them the time and space to decide for themselves.
What are some of the techniques that counsellors use?
Counsellors use a variety of approaches gained from study and experience. Each counsellor will therefore use a different approach, though all of our counsellors use some common framework, such as person-centred approach, to develop a positive therapeutic counselling relationship by providing attentive listening, the practice of empathy, a non-judgmental stance, a human rights-based perspective, and an empowerment perspective. Our counsellors seek to promote self-understanding and empowerment so that clients can live a life that is most satisfying for them, according to the values that are most important to them.
This service is funded by the Victorian Government
