CatholicCare , Sydney, has been providing approved Relationship and Family Counselling services under the provisions of the Family Law Act 1975, to all members of the Sydney metropolitan community for several decades. Counselling services are offered across a number of sites including the Sydney CBD, Enmore, Bankstown, Fairfield, Sutherland, Cabramatta West and Liverpool.
Relationships can provide us with some of the most rewarding and positive experiences of our lives. They can at times, however, present us with our greatest challenges and can become a source of distress and anxiety. Talking to one of our professionally qualified counsellors can help to face these challenges. Counselling is a process through which people are assisted in addressing a range of emotional, psychological and social difficulties arising from their relationships with family and significant others.
Counselling is aimed at promoting healthy and functional relationships. Counsellors address issues in a non-judgmental way to support individuals, couples and families to find effective solutions to the stress they are experiencing. Counselling can often lead to people reaching new levels of personal well being and relationship fulfillment.
The CatholicCare Counselling program strives to deliver the CatholicCare Mission of providing an inclusive, accessible and professional service. Through the provision of this service the program endeavours to assist all clients achieve respectful, empowering and positive relationships with their families and other significant people in their life.
Our Services
CatholicCare’s Counselling services can be sought for:
- Individuals
Couples
Families
- Children and Adolescents
Common issues addressed in counselling may include: Communication difficulties between adults in their relationships
Managing work/life stress
Relationship conflict
Relationship stress and family separation
Difficulties arising from family violence
Depression, anxiety and other mental health concerns arising from relationship issues
Parenting issues
Children and adolescents experiencing behavioural and emotional issues
Children and adolescents experiencing difficulties as a result of family problems and coming to terms with a family breakdown
Managing parenting after separation and divorce
Grief and bereavement
Interventions with Children
It has certainly been well documented that conflict between parents can have a negative impact upon children. CatholicCare maintains a child inclusive approach in working with parents and children. CatholicCare’s goal is to assist parents resolve the conflict they are experiencing to minimize the impact on children. CatholicCare can also assist by helping parents develop strategies for dealing with their children in stressful times. CatholicCare Counsellors can also work directly with children when that is considered to be appropriate.
Post Separation Child Assessments
The Counselling team offers also an assessment service for children and adolescents experiencing separation. Counsellors, who are skilled in working with children, assess children’s experiences of separation and provide feedback to separating parents in conjunction with Family Dispute Resolution Services to assist parents in their decisions about parenting arrangements. Counsellors are also able to work therapeutically with children and adolescents experiencing difficulties after separation or to refer them to other appropriate services within CatholicCare and/or the community.
Our Fees
The Relationship and Family Counselling Program is run on a not-for-profit basis and receives partial funding from the Commonwealth Government. In order to supplement this funding, fees are collected from clients for counselling services. These fees are calculated using a sliding scale structure that is dependent on family income. All fees are negotiable through discussions with the counsellor in cases of serious financial difficulty. CatholicCare is very sensitive to people’s financial difficulties and you can discuss any financial constraints you may be experiencing with your counsellor. It is a policy of CatholicCare that no one will be refused service due to inability to pay.
Our Professional Team The CatholicCare Relationship and Family Counselling Program has a team of male and female counsellors, who are all experienced and degree qualified professionals, with post graduate qualifications in counselling. All counsellors receive regular supervision for their work with clients and are required to undertake continuing professional development. All counsellors are accredited under Commonwealth Government regulations and meet the required standards of competency specified by the Family Law Act and their professional associations. The counselling team is also experienced in working with people from a range of cultural backgrounds. Confidentiality
Information discussed in a counselling session is strictly confidential. Information provided by clients to Relationship and Family Counsellors is privileged information and not admissible in courts, unless prior consent to this is given by the client. There are some exceptions to confidentiality. This applies where a counsellor identifies concerns about their own or someone else's safety; where there has been criminal activity and where children have experienced abuse or are at risk of harm or neglect. Under these circumstances counsellors are required to report these concerns to the relevant authority.
Duration of Counselling
CatholicCare Relationship and Family Counselling Program provides short to medium term counselling to clients, using a strengths based approach in assisting clients to resolve their difficulties. The number of counselling sessions ranges typically, any where from one to twelve counselling sessions. The number of counselling sessions can be extended if required and extensions are generally negotiated between the counsellor and the client(s), following a review of the progress on the goals set for counselling. Typically, each counselling session lasts for 60 minutes. Accessing Counselling Services Counselling services are offered at one of seven offices in the greater Sydney area. Counselling appointments are generally scheduled in advance and appointments can be made by phoning the appropriate CatholicCare office during office hours. Afterhours appointments are available in most offices. Some of our offices are specialist services for work with children and families. The table below provides the contact details, specialty counseling areas and after hours information for all offices.
CatholicCare Offices |
Opening Hours |
Counselling Services |
Sydney CBD Office Polding Centre Level 13
133 Liverpool StreetSYDNEY 2000 Ph: 9390 5366 |
Monday to Friday – 9am to 5pm Afterhours Wednesday – 5pm to 8pm |
Counselling for individuals and couples Child Consultancy Assessments Therapeutic work with children and adolescents Parental Counselling Services
|
Enmore Office 209A Edgeware Road
Enmore 2042
Ph 1300 723 878 |
Monday to Friday – 9am to 5pm Afterhours Thursday – 5pm to 8pm |
Counselling for individuals and couples Child ConsultancyAssessments Therapeutic work with children and adolescents Parental Counselling Services
|
Bankstown Office Level 3 41 – 45 Rickard RoadBANKSTOWN 2200 Ph: 8709-9333 |
Monday to Friday – 9am to 5pm Afterhours Monday – 5pm to 8pm |
Counselling for individuals and couples Child Consultancy Assessments Therapeutic work with children and adolescents Parental Counselling Services
|
Sutherland Office Level 3 Kirkby House
33-35 Belmont Street
SUTHERLAND 2232
Ph 8536 0855 |
Monday to Friday – 9am to 5pm |
Counselling for individuals and couples Child Consultancy Assessments Therapeutic work with children and adolescents Parental Counselling Services
|
Fairfield Office Suite 4, Level 2
25 Smart StreetFAIRFIELD 2165
Ph: 8723 2222 |
Monday to Friday – 9am to 5pm Afterhours Tuesday – 5pm to 8pm |
Counselling for individuals and couples Child Consultancy Assessments Parental Counselling Services
|
Cabramatta Office Sedevic Cottage
625 Cabramatta Road
CABRAMATTA WEST 2166
Ph: 9822 9855 |
Monday to Friday – 9am to 5pm |
|
Liverpool Office Level 1
45-47 Scott Street
LIVERPOOL 2170
Ph: 9612 3444 |
Monday to Friday – 9am to 5pm |
Counselling for individuals and couples Child Consultancy Assessments Parental Counselling Services
|