Counselling Services

The Counselling Service of Dartford Gravesham and Swanley Mind is delivered by qualified and trainee counsellors who volunteer to take on this work. We currently have 20 counsellors, providing a service to around 50 clients at any one time.
The service is available to clients by arrangement in the daytime, evening and at weekends, at our office base in Dartford, and also at the Riverside Centre in Gravesend.

What kind of Counselling is available?

Our counsellors, both male and female, come from different walks or life and different cultural backgrounds, and we currently can offer Counselling in English, Hindi and Marathi.
Most of our counsellors have been trained in a number of approaches to counselling and will adapt to the needs of the client. This is called an Integrative Approach.
We also have therapists specifically trained in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) on the team, and strive to match the needs of the client with the skills and approach of the particular counsellor.
We agree the number of sessions with each client, and review this during the counselling process: we do not set rigid boundaries around maximum number of sessions as is the rule in many other counselling organisations.

How do I refer?

Self referrals, or referrals from any professional, are made to the counselling coordinator, usually by phone. The counselling coordinator will then contact the person to discuss their needs, to explain the charging system, and to inform the person of how long they can expect before counselling will start. As this is a popular service, there is often a waiting list of several weeks. Sometimes the counselling coordinator might suggest another service of DGS Mind is more appropriate to your needs.
When you are allocated a counsellor they will be in touch with you to arrange the first session.

So there is a charge then?

We receive no funding from Health or Social Services for this work, so it is necessary for us to charge clients per session. Our policy is that clients will be charged per session the same amount as they themselves earn per hour. Where clients are unwaged the charge is £5 per session, and in cases of severe hardship, £2. The appropriate amount is determined by the counselling coordinator during the first telephone contact.

What is expected of clients?

It is important that you benefit from all the sessions you are offered, and ensure that counsellors do not have a wasted journey if you do not turn up. Therefore you must inform your counsellor in advance of any session you are unable to attend. If you do not give 24 hours notice of a cancellation of a session, you will be asked to pay for that missed session.
We also expect clients to complete a feedback form at the end of the counselling, so we have some way of knowing how useful the service has been to you.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is a key part of the counselling relationship, and counsellors are trained to keep confidential the content of counselling sessions. However, from time to time a counsellor might have serious concerns about the safety of the client, or others. In these rare circumstances, it is appropriate for the counsellor to discuss this with us. All this is explained in the counselling agreement signed by clients.

For further information: Contact us

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Dartford Gravesham & Swanley MIND
Registered In England company No.5093370
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Registered Charity No.1103790
Affiliated Local Association.