District Mental Health Program - Telephone Counseling Phases (Telecounselling Phases)

Telephone Counseling Phases (Telecounselling Phases) Telephone counselling is where you speak with your counsellor and receive your session over the telephone rather than face-to-face in the therapy room. As with face-to-face counselling, your counsellor will offer you space to talk through how you’ve been feeling and support you to identify and make changes should you wish to do so. A vital part of telephone counselling is that you feel heard and understood by your counsellor and that you understand the process. Most counsellors who offer telephone sessions offer an assessment over the phone. This is a valuable opportunity for you to find out more about how that counsellor works and for you to get a feel for telephone counselling. By the end of the assessment hopefully, you should have an idea of whether you would feel comfortable working with the counsellor. Telephone counseling has five phases in each session 1. Preparation 2. Introduction 3. Middle phase 4. Termination phase 5. Documentation and closing the session There are times when telephone counselling would not be ideal as it may not be able to provide you with the right amount of support. If you are assessed and your counsellor expresses that they cannot offer you telephone counselling, don’t worry, this doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with you or that you won’t be able to access any support. In this instance, your counsellor may well give you information about other services for you to choose from that can offer the right type of help. Telephone counselling may not be able to meet your needs if you experience significant difficulties talking and sharing feelings over the telephone. Nor would it be suitable if you assessed at ‘at risk’. What this means is if you are at risk of harming yourself or other people. This is important because your counsellor has a responsibility to promote safety. If you are unsure about what this means or if it applies to you, please do ask your counsellor.