Frequently Asked Questions
- Should I do anything before my first session?
- You might find it useful to think about how you want counselling to help. For example are you looking to feel better about something in the past or do you want to make changes in your life now?
- You might be coming to counselling with your partner, some of your family or alone. Whether they have a partner or not, people often come for counselling and sex therapy alone and find it helpful
- What will happen when I come for counselling?
- At your first session a counsellor will talk with you for up to one hour. Some people find this session is all they need to clear their thinking and help them decide what to do next. You and your counsellor will talk through how Relate might be able to help and if appropriate; your counsellor will recommend a Relate Counselling service, Relate Sex Therapy or another Relate service. If your counsellor doesn't think we are best placed to help, they may suggest another organisation.
- When you first arrive you will be asked to fill out a registration form which will remain confidential.
- What is counselling?
- In counselling, individuals, couples or family groups have sessions where they think through an issue or work through a problem. The counsellor is trained to help people understand themselves better, relate better to others, work things out for themselves and make decisions about what to do next. Your counsellor will help you talk openly and honestly.
- In sex therapy, the therapist discusses the problems you have identified. If therapy is advised, the therapist will design a programme of exercises especially for you and you will be asked to do specific exercises privately at home. At your sessions the therapist will discuss your progress with the exercises and the best next steps for you. You will never be asked to undertake any sexual tasks during therapy sessions. Counselling and sex therapy always work at your pace, not to a specific timetable.
- How often will I have appointments?
- Sessions are usually once a week for 50 minutes. Counselling will continue for as long as you and the counsellor feel it is helpful. The number of sessions depends on you, most people find six or seven sessions is about right for counselling, those coming to sex therapy can expect to attend for longer.
- Do we have to pay for Relate services?
- You will normally be expected to pay a fee. Relate centres are charities and don't aim to make a profit from the services they provide, the fee is to cover the cost of counselling sessions. A Limited bursary is available to help people on low income.
- Do Relate Counsellors have special Training?
- Relate counsellors have all received special training in couple counselling. It takes two to three years to become a fully qualified Relate counsellor. They undergo further training to specialise in areas such as family counselling and sex therapy. All counsellors continue with ongoing training and consultation with other professionals to make sure they give you the highest standard of counselling
- Does Relate have to comply with any recognised standards?
- Relate works to the relevant ethical framework of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) www.bacp.co.uk, the British Association for Sexual and Relationship Therapy (BASRT) www.basrt.org.uk or the Association of Family Therapy (AFT) www.aft.org.uk
- The 'Which ' Report on counselling and the Department of Health's publications ' Talking Therapies both recommend Relate as a reputable provider of counselling.
- Is what we say confidential?
- Relate offers private and confidential help to our clients. We will not normally give your name or any information about you to anyone outside the organisation unless we have reason to believe that someone, especially a child, is at risk of serious harm. The professional notes that counsellors make about your counselling are kept in locked cabinets and used exclusively for your sessions, and are the legal property of Relate. We will give you more information about confidentiality when you come to your first appointment.
- Does Relate keep records of our sessions?
- Relate keeps confidential records and statistics about our clients. Records are kept for a limited period and then destroyed. Relate complies with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998. We will give you more information about this when you come to your first session.
- What if violence or abuse is an issue?
- Violence and abuse is an issue for some people who come to us for help with their relationship. We know that in this situation working with both partners together may not be safe. If this is the case then we would help each partner get individual specialist support from Relate or another agency.