Alcohol and Other Drug Service

Your First Appointment

Please allow up to 90 minutes for the initial assessment appointment. Each regular counselling session will run for 50 minutes and care and recovery sessions are flexible to fit your needs.

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.

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING THE 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, we might:

Ask 'What brought you to Thorne Harbour Health?'
Learn from you what your hopes are for seeking support from us, and help you set goals that you would like to achieve from counselling or care and recovery
Explain how our service works
Ask some questions about your history, including your childhood, education, relationships, your current living situation, and your career
Advise on other services or supports, if any, might be helpful whilst you wait for an allocation

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.

FOR TELEPHONE OR ZOOM APPOINTMENTS

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:

We will phone you at the arranged appointment time.

For Zoom appointments:

We 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:

Find a comfortable, quiet space within your home. Make sure this is private and away from distractions or other loud noises.
Find a pair of headphones to use throughout your session. This will increase privacy measures if you live with others.
You might consider minimising disruptions by locking doors, putting a ‘Do not disturb’ sign up, or switching off phones.
If you wish to hide your face from your own view on Zoom, please click the ‘X’ in the top right corner of your videocam view (the window that shows your face only). Some clients may find the view of their face distracting or uncomfortable.

If you feel uncomfortable with videoconferencing, phone consultations are available as an alternative.

IF YOU NEED TO RESCHEDULE

We understand that cancellations are sometimes necessary. Please call if you need to reschedule – we require 24 hours’ notice. Our number is (08) 7078 4128. 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.

CLIENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

You can find our Client Rights and Responsibilities Statement here.

IF YOU NEED TO GET IN TOUCH WITH US

You can call us on (08) 7078 4128 and ask to speak to one of our workers
You can submit a contact form through our website, and someone will be in touch with you
Or you can email us at aodsa@thorneharbour.org