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It is natural to feel nervous prior to your first appointment with a counsellor, especially if this is a new experience for you. We hope this information might answer some common concerns and help you prepare for your first session at Thorne Harbour Health.
Please allow up to 90 minutes for the initial assessment appointment. Each regular counselling session will run for 50 minutes.
Prior to your first session, you will receive information about our Client Privacy and Confidentiality Information, Informed Consent, and Client Rights and Responsibilities. If you have not received this pack, please let us know and we can send this to you and review with you during your first appointment.
At your first appointment, your information will be reviewed, and we will explain the way we work as well as answer any questions you may have. During the first session, your counsellor might:
Some questions might not be relevant for you or you may not comfortable with. If that’s the case, we can skip those. The first appointment is also a chance for you to check us out. You might have questions about the service, different therapy approaches, or confidentiality. Feel free to ask.
This information has been devised following government guidelines in Victoria and will be revised regularly based on those directions.
There are COVID-safe protocols in place until further notice. These include:
If you are experiencing any cold or flu symptoms, please contact us before coming on-site. We can reschedule the appointment or provide via Telehealth.
Address:
Check our contact page for the locations of our sites.
Accessibility:
We are committed to ensuring our buildings and facilities are accessible to people with disabilities, create connections and enhance the experience of all people who visit us.
We will do our best to accommodate your access needs for you to be able to visit us and fully participate in our counselling services. Please contact us on 03 9865 6700 to discuss any access needs.
We can provide telephone or video appointments using a videoconferencing platform called Zoom. Once an appointment has been arranged, we will share a link with you via email or SMS. Once you have clicked on this link, you video session with automatically launch. You will need a device (computer or smartphone) with an internet connection in order for the link to work.
For telephone appointments:
Your counsellor will phone you at the arranged appointment time.
For Zoom appointments:
Your counsellor will send you a link prior to the appointment. Your Telehealth session will be scheduled for a specific time. The link will expire at the conclusion of your appointment. These telehealth sessions are not recorded and are completely private.
We understand that it can be a strange experience the first few times you engage in online counselling. Here are some tips to help ease any discomfort you may experience, and to help you make the most of your session:
If you feel uncomfortable with videoconferencing, phone consultations are available as an alternative.
You can find our Client Rights and Responsibilities Statement here.
We understand that cancellations are sometimes necessary. Please call if you need to reschedule – we require 24 hours’ notice. Our number is 03 9865 6700. Alternatively, you can respond to the reminder SMS that was sent to you. You will receive a reminder 48 hours prior to ensure enough time to reschedule.
Counselling appointments are currently provided free of charge.
If you are in crisis and in need of urgent support please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or 000
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