Our mission is to reduce distress and save lives by providing safe, accessible, effective, professional and innovative services. We work specifically to increase awareness and understanding of suicide prevention in New Zealand and reduce the associated stigma and to work with others to make a positive contribution to the health and social sector. We receive over 10,000 calls from people of all ages and ethnicities who are struggling with a wide range of issues including relationship and work problems, mental health, grief, abuse, bullying and loneliness. We help an average of 6 people a day at high risk of suicide. Calls to our helplines are free, confidential and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We receive no government funding for these helplines and reply on public donations. Lifeline is part of Presbyterian Support Northern, a non-government organisation in the health and social service sector.
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Services Offered
Suicide Crisis Helpline - 0508 TAUTOKO is a free, nationwide service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is operated by highly trained and experienced telephone counsellors who have undergone advanced suicide prevention training. If you think you, or someone you know, may be thinking about suicide, call the Suicide Crisis Helpline for support. If you believe either you, or someone you know, is in immediate danger, please call emergency services immediately on 111.
Specialist Counselling - Specialist Counselling is currently available from Lifeline's Auckland centre to parents with dependent children or youth aged 17 and under or via online counselling nationally. We currently offer 4-6 sessions per person. Lifeline's qualified, registered counsellors have broad experience with a wide variety of clients and issues. Talking to a counsellor can help when you are struggling or overwhelmed with something in your life you want to change. It could be related to experiences of loss, grief or trauma; it could be relationship difficulties, on-going stress, depression, anxiety or all of this at once. Clients want to feel better and find ways their lives can be different. Our counsellors listen and work with people to understand what's going on, identify change they could make and bring a sense of peace, hope and strength back into their lives.
Fees and Payment
We believe that money should not be a barrier to someone accessing quality counselling. Our fees are set on a sliding scale based on household income (0.1% of income e.g. $60K - $60/session) with a minimum of $60/$80 individual/couple. Our fee for youth aged 17 and under is $5 per session. When the minimum is beyond what a client can afford we will talk through options that may be available to them and won't let financial hardship get in the way of high quality support. This is also a registered charity.
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.