Counselling could be seen as preventative healthcare. For a person to see a counsellor, there is no presumption of mental illness. While counsellors can treat clients with this presentation, counsellors primarily operate in various capacities focussed on growth, goal orientation, interpersonal relationships, career and more. Conversely, psychologists primarily work with clients who live with more serious mental health conditions. As such, psychologists have the authority to diagnose clients through use of diagnostic tools and assessments. This is something counsellors do not have the authority to do.

Registering with a peak body such as the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) or PACFA is voluntary and is important to look out for when choosing a counsellor to work with. If you see an ACA registration, you can be confident that the counsellor has been sufficiently trained in evidence based therapies, partakes in ongoing training and regular supervision. ACA registered counsellors operate in alignment the the ACA Code of Ethics and within their scope of practice ensuring that they provide responsible and effective support. Elena Obst of Cognitively Speaking is registered with ACA.

No. A referral is not required to access services through Cognitively Speaking. If you do have a referral from another care provider, you are welcome to share this as it may benefit the counsellor understanding of your care plan and presenting concerns.

Mental Health Care Plans you might access through a GP are not available for counselling services. At this stage, private health fund rebates are also not applicable to Cognitively Speaking services.

Yes. For many individuals online counselling can be as effective as in person sessions. Research has shown that it can help with a variety of concerns such as anxiety, depression, life transitions, stress, relationships and more. The effectiveness of any counselling is heavily impacted by the therapeutic relationship between the client and the counsellor, the type of therapy and the client commitment to the process.

All of the personal information gathered during counselling in intake, correspondence and during sessions is confidential. Counsellors are legally and ethically bound to this confidentiality. There are a couple of very specific situations where a counsellor would have to break this confidentiality. These include; if information is subpoenaed by a court; where failure to disclose would place you or another person at risk; or if your approval have been given to provide information to another agency such as a GP or lawyer or another party.