Petersgate Trust provides affordable professional counselling to the community. We respect and look after the needs of everyone, regardless of creed, culture or socio-economic background.
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Services Offered
Counselling
Counselling is a working relationship that helps you explore and manage what is happening in your life. The aim of counselling is to provide an opportunity for you to work towards a more satisfying and resourceful experience of life. Each person's needs are different.
Counselling may be concerned with personal development issues, resolving specific problems, making decisions, coping with crisis, developing personal insight and knowledge, working through feelings of inner conflict, improving relationships with others … or any other issues which crop up in everyday life.
The counsellor's role is to assist you in ways that respect your values, culture, personal resources and capacity for change.
Fees and Payment
Fees are normally $120 per one-hour session, but the Petersgate Trust subsidises fees for those earning a gross annual household income of less than $80,000 and who are not able to access alternative funding.
Petersgate has established a process with Work and Income to assist all clients who are eligible to receive an allowance for counselling. If this applies to you (see the income thresholds below) then we will help you complete the required paperwork and submit the application on your behalf.
Services Offered To: Adults Couples Teens Children
Payment: Sliding Scale Pro-bono
If You Call, Please Let Us Know How it Went:
Were You Able to Make an Appointment?
One quick last question. Who was seeking counseling today?
Do you know the reason they are not accepting clients?
A community counseling agency is a group therapy practice that offers affordable mental health services. Most are independent non-profit agencies, state agencies, or publicly-funded agencies. A few may restrict who is eligible for services, so it is a good idea to check when you call.
Community counseling agencies are generally more affordable than other therapy providers, but how much more affordable they are will depend on whether you qualify for a discount or sliding scale fee (or if they accept your insurance). Many, but not all, have a policy that they won't turn away anyone due to inability to pay. You should ask about their fees when you first call.
Expect to talk to kind people who want to help you find the care you need. Most community agencies strive to connect you with a live person within 24 hours, if not immediately. If you're asked to hold or leave a message, don't give up; just leave a message and wait. You should hear back pretty quickly.
Most agencies try to set up an initial assessment appointment within a week (some do within 24 hours), though the waitlist to start therapy is usually longer—about a few weeks on average. If you're not eligible or if the agency is not right for you, it's usually still worth it to call or drop in, because staff are knowledgeable about local options and can often refer you to one.