Introduction to counselling

This information is valid from the 24th April 2024. It is periodically reviewed for accuracy. Changes will be highlighted at the top of the document.

Please note, changes to wording have been made to help make it easier to read and understand.

Thank you for reaching out to counselling@unit12.

Below is some information about the services that Ed Magee offers, along with a bit of information about the different formats of counselling and how they work.

 If you would like to explore with Ed, or any of the other therapists at CAU12, the personal difficulties you are experiencing, please Contact Us.

The relevant counsellor you have applied to see, will review the information you provide to assess whether their skills match your requirements, and you will be notified as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, please do reach out to us at administration@cau12.com.

About Ed Magee

To find out more about Ed, how he works, his accreditation, experience, fees and more, please click here.

What sort of issues can counselling help with?

Counselling provides an opportunity to explore a personal difficulty in a confidential and supportive environment.  All of us experience such difficulties at certain times in our lives, and the accompanying feelings can be painful.  When this happens, it can be hard to stay positive and cope with everyday life.

Counselling can help you explore your feelings related to a wide range of issues including abuse, anxiety, stress, depression, eating difficulties, loneliness, relationship problems, bereavement, self-esteem, sexual orientation, sexual abuse, discrimination, pet bereavement and many more.

How it works

The Aim of counselling is to provide you, the client, with the opportunity to talk about any problems or difficulties you have that are bothering you and to explore your thoughts and feelings in a safe place, without judgement. Counsellors provide, to the best of their ability, a supportive, non-judgemental environment in which you are given time and space to gain insight into your situation. This can foster growth and lead to positive change in your life.

Once you’ve started working with Ed, you will be given a Working Agreement that outlines what both he, as the counsellor, and you, the client, commit to during the counselling process.

The objectives of the counselling are decided by you and what you want to achieve. These will be regularly reviewed, with the expectation that objectives can and may change as the counselling progresses.

Counsellors are not in a position to offer advice.

There may be occasions where Ed asks questions; this may be to seek a clearer view of your difficulty or to clarify a misunderstanding in your mutual communication.

Face-to-face counselling appointments

Face-to-face counselling is held at our rooms at Unit 12. Suitable appointments will be arranged with Ed, will usually last for 50 minutes, and can be held at the same time each week.

Being in our rooms can also provide the scope to explore aspects of your life in a creative way e.g. through use of mediums such as drawing, painting and sand trays.

Remote counselling (Telephone or Video Call) appointments

Remote appointments give you the opportunity to access counselling at a time and in a place that is convenient to you.  Ed will agree a time and day of the week for regular appointments and either phone you at the agreed time on the agreed number or send you a Zoom link to your meeting.

One thing to be aware of is that remote counselling is different to face-to-face work.  Misunderstandings may occur, due to the limitations of technology in always accurately conveying facial expressions, body language and tone of voice. You and Ed should therefore agree to think the best of each other and seek to clarify any miscommunication.

Not all types of issue can be resolved through remote counselling and Ed will advise you if face-to-face counselling, or some other form of support, might be more suitable for you. Should he not be able to provide a suitable means of support, he will make every effort to assist you in a referral to a suitable alternative.

Outdoor counselling appointments

Outdoor counselling appointments are only offered to clients who are already having either face-to-face or remote counselling sessions. Outdoor counselling appointments are conducted as part of your treatment journey and work alongside your other sessions.

Many people find being in the open air meditative, allowing deeper thinking and an opportunity to talk about difficult issues in a different setting. Our location has a variety of green spaces available in the vicinity. Ed would meet you at a pre-agreed spot and walk for fifty minutes. You would get the same excellent psychotherapeutic service, just in the outdoors.

There are however a couple of things to note about Outdoor counselling. Firstly, sessions may need to be cut short due to adverse weather conditions. Sessions may be cancelled at short notice if there are other circumstances out of our control that would make the session unworkable. This would include but is not limited to, closure of the area used for walking, large crowds of people in the area, other events being held in the area. Sessions cancelled in either of the above-mentioned cases may alternatively be held as Remote Counselling appointments instead.

Also, as the sessions are held in public spaces, there are limitations to the level of confidentiality that can be kept, and we cannot guarantee complete confidentiality.

Confidentiality

Your privacy is very important to us, and you can be confident that your personal information will be kept safe and secure and will only be used for the purpose for which it was given to us.

The content of your appointments will not be communicated with a third party except for the purposes of your counsellor’s own supervision.  In supervision only your first name will be revealed.

We will hold confidentiality within the limits of the law. Counsellors are however legally bound to make disclosure if a client reveals that they are intending to cause serious risk of harm to others. In addition, if at any point during the counselling you were in need of emergency support, the counsellor may ask for your consent to contact your GP or, recommend alternative avenues of support other than counselling.

Please do take time to read our privacy Notice, which can be found on www.cau12.com/privacy-notice.

Counselling cannot provide an emergency service for clients. In the event of an emergency arising whilst you are engaged in counselling work, or if you were experiencing severe suicidal thoughts, Ed would discuss the appropriate support that you could access during this period. If you found yourself in a major crisis and were considering serious self-harm it would be vital to get immediate help. This could include contacting your GP, or your nearest accident and emergency service (A & E). You could also call the Samaritans on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.

All personal information disclosed will be kept confidential and not used for any purposes other than a counselling record. All client material is treated in complete confidence. Electronic records are password protected and stored securely.

Please note, it is not permissible to publicise the content of your exchanges with your counsellor or share them with a third party.

Payments

Payment is required for every agreed counselling appointment. Payments can be made by bank transfer or paid by cash or cheque. Should you need to cancel an appointment, please be aware that any cancellations made less than 24 hours before the session may need to be paid in full. Ed will endeavour to provide as much notice as possible should he need to rearrange the agreed session. In cases where he cancels a session, payment will not be required, or, if you have paid for the session in advance, the payment will be retained for the next session.

If you have made payment for a remote counselling session but the session is unable to go ahead due to a technological breakdown which prevents you and/or Ed from connecting, Ed will contact you to discuss how to re-arrange the scheduled appointment and the payment will be carried over to the next appointment.