Telephone

How do I book an appointment?

Initial appointments can be made by text 07599 955231 or contact us here.

A text message will be sent by your support worker to offer an appointment. You can respond to agree this with them.

If you need to cancel a session, please inform your support worker by text message 24 hours in advance where possible.

How will the session work?

A text reminder will be sent to you a few hours before the session.

Your support worker will call you from the same number at the correct time.

If you do not answer at the appointment time your support worker will try again after 10 minutes. If there is still no answer they will send you a text message asking if you wish to reschedule for the following week. If you do not respond to this your support worker will assume that you do not wish to be contacted again.

How confidential (private) are telephone appointments?

Telephone appointments work well if you can manage to find a safe closed space to talk, and especially if you can use headphones with a microphone.

All support workers will be talking to you from a safe closed space using headphones.

Everything you say will remain confidential. This means we will not pass on any information about you to anyone else unless we think you are at risk of harm to yourself or another person.

No telephone sessions shall be recorded.

What will happen if we are concerned about your safety?

Your support worker will ask if you would like to pass on an emergency contact number in case we are concerned about your safety , for example if you hang up suddenly without warning or if you say something which makes us believe you are at risk of harm.

If your support worker remains concerned about your safety they must pass on this information to those who can help you, they would always try to talk to you about this first.

What will happen if we lose signal?

If the signal is lost a text message will be sent to you from your support worker to explain what has happened. If connection cannot be re-established an alternative appointment will be sent.

After an appointment.

After an appointment it can feel like you are still caught up in the things you have talked about. It can be helpful to plan a ritual after which you will always follow after an appointment. This might be something like making a cup of tea, having a bath or a walk or listening to some music. Your support worker will help you with this.

Our rescue package page has some links to apps which can also be helpful after a session.

Telephone boundaries

We are not an emergency service.

Agencies providing emergency support include

Samaritans 116123

Breathing space 0800 838587

Between session contact

You will only contact your support worker through text to arrange appointments. They will reply during working hours.

Supervision

All our team members are trained to deliver telephone support. They are all supervised and will sometimes discuss cases with their supervisor but will not disclose any personal information.

What information about me do you keep?

Please see our privacy policy.

What if I something has gone wrong and I want to make a complaint?

See complaints policy.

Your voice

My counsellor was very supportive and understanding. I can’t express how much support she gave me.

April 2020