CounsellingGALE
What is Counselling & How Can It Help?
Counselling falls under the umbrella term ‘talking therapies’ and allows people to discuss their problems and any difficult feelings they encounter in a safe, confidential environment.
The term can mean different things to different people, but in general, it is a process people seek when they want to change something in their lives, or simply explore their thoughts and feelings in more depth.
Counselling can help you to:
Feel better about yourself if you’re struggling with difficult emotions such as low self-esteem, anger or negative thoughts.
Help you with your mental health, such as stress, anxiety and depression.
Improve and help with relationship issues or a relationship breakdown.
Cope better with a difficult change or event in your life such as a bereavement or going through the menopause.
Help you to make important life changes such as addiction recovery, abstinence and eating disorders.
Help you to understand any identity issues.
Help you recover from past trauma, abuse and PTSD
What can we help with?
We can help you with issues relating to:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Stress
- Abuse and Sexual Abuse
- Relationships Issues (We are not currently offering couples counselling.)
- Addiction and Substance Use
- Bereavement and Grief
- LGBTQI+, Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation
- Self-harming
- Bereavement and Grief
- Anger and Behavioural Problems
- Learning Difficulties and Autism
- Family Issues (We are not currently offering family therapy.)
- Spirituality
- Life Transitions
- Eating Disorders
- Domestic Violence
- Sexual Abuse
- Low Self-esteem
- Trauma and PTSD
- This list is not exhaustive.
Who can access the Counselling Service?
Our Service offers one to one counselling and is available to individuals aged 16 and over.
We offer an inclusive service and welcome people from all sections of the community
How do I make an appointment?
Simply email: counselling@galeteam.co.uk to self- refer and our counselling coordinator will get back to you within a day or two. If you would like someone to phone you back, please leave your phone number.
We welcome referrals from organisations and service providers. Please email: counselling@galeteam.co.uk for a referral form or download here.
The NHS are welcome to refer their patients to our service by making a direct referral using our referral form or through sign posting patients to us.
Client contributions for counselling itself are dependent on income. Funding is subsidised for people on benefits and low income.
How Quickly Can I See a Counsellor?
We currently don’t have a waiting list, so once you make that first contact call, it’s possible to see a counsellor with a week or two.
Is the Service Confidential?
Yes! We provide a confidential counselling service and adhere to professional standards and a code of ethics. For more information, see the counsellor biographies below.
How many sessions can I have?
We do not limit the number of sessions you can have, which means you will have the time and space needed for your personal therapeutic process.
What should I expect at my first meeting?
It’s normal to feel apprehensive or anxious on your first session, especially if you have never had any counselling before. Our aim is to help you to feel welcomed and comfortable. The counselling space is a safe and confidential space for you.
In your first session there will be plenty of time to express what’s going on for you, for us to explore how best we can help, to answer any questions you may have, and decide how best to take the sessions forward.
Where are my sessions held?
Sessions are available online using video calling and on the phone. In the future we hope to offer:
Counselling in person at the GALE Centre.
Walk and talk counselling.
A mobile service (home visits).
Is there a charge?
CounsellingGALE relies on client contributions to provide our service. We are a low-cost service and welcome a contribution of £35 per session.
For people that live in the Gairloch and Loch Ewe area, we have funding to provide subsidised session of between £5 and £30 depending on your financial situation. Please speak to your counsellor about this.
The Counsellors
We have a small, but growing team of professional counsellor’s and therapists available for long and short term counselling and therapy.
Our counsellors work generically, but also have specific specialisms in the following areas:
- Mental heath
- Hypnotherapy
- Addiction
- Domestic abuse
- Trauma and PTSD
A Counselling Service on your Doorstep
Did you know that we are the only Counselling Service on the West Coast of the Scottish Highlands, listed by the Counselling Directory?
We are dedicated to offering a low-cost, professional and confidential counselling service to people in these rural communities. A donation of £35 will cover the cost of a 1 hour session and provide essential support for those on low incomes.
If you would like to help us do this, please tell your friends and family about us, and consider donating to the counselling service by sending a donation.
Thank you for your support.
One Client’s Story
I have used CounsellingGALE for 11 months after moving into the Gairloch area in December 2021. I have been struggling greatly for several years with my mental wellbeing, experiencing regular long periods of depressed moods, negative thought patterns, and recurrent suicidal ideation. This seriously affected all aspects of my life, and I felt completely stuck in this mindset. I felt heartbreaking emotional pain almost every day. I felt like I was unable to enjoy life.
Extremely long waiting lists for NHS counselling, and the high cost of private therapy, is a massive deterrent in seeking help. These barriers dissuaded me from pursuing counselling for years, as I believed it was pointless to even try.
Finding counselling through GALE, which, in contrast to the above, is a local and quickly accessible service, has changed my life so rapidly in less than a year. Working with my counsellor has helped me completely change my way of thinking and provided me with a number of tools and coping mechanisms that have drastically improved my quality of life.
Read the full article………here.
Location
The GALE Centre, Achtercairn, Gairloch, IV21 2BH
Contact Us
If you need someone to talk to or would like more information, please enquire confidentially via the form below.