Trauma, crisis, grief, anxiety – when most of us think about “counselling”, these are the topics that first come to mind. But while a counsellor is prepared to help in all of these areas, that’s not the only purpose they serve.
Counsellors can improve your quality of life by helping you plan, achieve and process the experiences you view or feel. What many people don’t realise is that counsellors aren’t only there to support you through a mental health crisis. A counsellor is a trained professional that can support you in developing coping strategies, time management skills, help you build confidence and gain more positive perspectives.
Counselling is different to other services as it is a therapeutic support which guides participants to develop different techniques and skills to strengthen their mental health and achieve individualised goals. Counselling is a capacity-building and capacity-enhancing therapeutic service that offers more than just emotional support. Rather, the service seeks to support and develop the ‘inner’ you so you’re able to achieve your goals and become more independent.
Whether you are in a crisis, need support with major changes in your life or finding it difficult to manage day to day activities, counselling may be a good option to clarify your concerns and develop strategies to increase your wellbeing and independence
Benefits of counselling
If you have counselling in your NDIS plan from the outset, it can be a great way to get extra support and develop your personal capacity. Counsellors are flexible and can adapt to your needs, so if you want to spend extra time building your capacity they can help by:
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Guiding you through life transition goals
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Refining your social skills so you can learn about different perspectives
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Supporting your time management and goal setting skills
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Supporting you in your job seeking journey
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Assisting your planning, time management and memory issues
While there are many other supports that you can access using your NDIS plan, a counsellor can offer additional support and help you develop a manageable system helps provide extra guidance in areas you might feel overwhelmed or have problems with.
Getting started
To access counselling services under the NDIS, you must have the item ‘Improved Daily Living’ in your plan. Improved Daily Living provides funds to access an allied health professional and is generally flexible across other therapeutic services. You could therefore use some or all of your Improved Daily Living funds for counselling if you think it will benefit you and your short-term goals.
It is important to note that there are 9 other possible line items to consider under your Capacity Building funds, each working in tandem with other services so you can seamlessly access the supports you need
If you are unsure about where to start with your NDIS plan funding, we covered Capacity Building in one of our latest blog posts.
What topics can I talk about?
Counselling is a valuable service as it tailors therapeutic supports so you can work through a problem or issue with a trained professional.
The biggest benefit of counselling is that it provides a safe space to discuss what is going on in your life without fear of judgement. These can include a range of topics such as:
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Parenting
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Exploring gender identity and/or sexuality
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General life advice
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Grief and loss
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Stress, anxiety, and depression
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Relationship issues
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Work and career issues
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Addiction
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Abuse
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Trauma
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Self-esteem difficulties
No issue is too big or small, and there are many ways a counsellor can support your concerns, personal recovery goals and improve wellbeing.
Our counsellors can also develop relationships with other providers, with your school/workplace, family and friends to ensure you have the best support network around you.
How can Breakthru help?
At Breakthru we understand that everyone needs support at some stage in their life. That’s why our counsellors are trained to provide a tailored support plan to help you achieve your individual goals.
It’s been a tough year for many of us, so if you’re in need of counselling support or simply want to have a brief chat, please reach out to one of our friendly counsellors today.
