All services we provide support the paramountcy of the child -This means that the interests and welfare of the child are the prime consideration when any decision is made about a child or young person suspected of being abused.The agency was established in Dunedin in 1968 initially providing support to young pregnant mothers and general social work assistance. Over the years, in response to changing social needs, we have extended our services to include professional counselling and group programmes with a major focus on supporting parents and children. Our services are free or low cost and available to all. Our staff are all members or provisional members of their relevant professional associations. This means they meet and maintain the standards set by their professions.
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Services Offered
Counselling - Dunedin - When problems affect you intensely it is often difficult to think clearly enough to isolate what the problem is and find a solution.Counselling can help you explore your difficulties and find ways of living a happier more satisfying life. We provide brief,medium and long term counselling for individuals, couples and families in Dunedin and Central Otago. People bring a wide range of issues to counselling including
* Sexual abuse * Physical -Emotional abuse * Grief and Loss * Depression * Stress * Family issues * Relationship breakdown
Single Point of Entry Service (Wellington/Wairarapa) - This service supports offenders serving a community sentence, helping them to get support for problematic use of alcohol and drugs at the right time. Our Criminal Justice Team receives referrals from Probation Officers and meets with offenders to assess their situation and refer them on to other services to get the help they need. Our team also provides brief interventions and works with offenders to be motivated for working with other services. The Criminal Justice Workers meet offenders at Probation Offices across the Greater Wellington and Wairarapa region. They identify their needs, talk with them about their concerns, consider options for support and help them to make connections between their alcohol or other drug use and their offending. They continue to support them while they access the services they need, until they have been successfully engaged with other agencies. Our Team provides reports and feedback to probation staff.
Counselling and Social Work - Central Otago - Dona Foley,Community Support Worker, and Geoff Heward, Counsellor provide support to individuals and families Monday to Friday each week from their base at Alexandra Community House, 14-20 Centennial Ave, Alexandra. Help with issues of housing, inadequate income, relationship, stress,depression, abuse and parenting issues. Our work in the area is mostly from Alexandra, Dunstan, Cromwell and Ranfurly. We also offer a counselling clinic fortnightly from the Roxburgh Medical Centre.
Fees and Payment
Our counselling is subsidised by grants and donations to allow us to offer a low cost professional service. We ask you to contribute towards the cost of your counselling according to your ability to pay. We suggest $40-$65 per session. Unwaged or low waged-up to $40 per session. This is negotiable and will be discussed at your first interview. No-one will be turned away because they are unable to pay.
Services Offered To: Adults Couples Teens Children
Payment: Sliding Scale Pro-bono
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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.