Rebecca Home Counselling. Person-Centred Online Counselling for Individuals & Couples

Traditions of talking to aid wellness are found in many cultures around the world.

Counselling builds upon these traditions but has distinct features. Counselling is not about giving advice rather empowering people to find their own solutions. There is great emphasis placed on the therapeutic relationship between counsellor and the person seeking counselling, but it is still a professional relationship, to join the professional associations ACA or PACFA, counsellors must undergo accredited training, follow ethical guidelines, and undertake ongoing personal and professional development. And finally, counselling can be for individuals, couples, families, and groups. Counselling is for everyone; counselling does not discriminate.

Often people seek counselling to better understand their relationships; to improve mental health and wellness; and to gain clarity on educational and career goals. Unlike psychiatrists and/ or psychologists counsellors do not diagnose, prescribe medications, or focus exclusively on mental illness treatment.

At this practice we use a person-centred approach, pioneered by psychologist and scientist Carl Rogers. Rogers believed that all people have a natural inclination towards growth, but sometimes like a plant needing water and sunlight, the environment is not right. Rogers theorised that conditions placed on our individual worth by ourselves, and our environment lead people to create an idea of self. Problems occur when we cannot accept experiences into our idea of self, and we feel threatened by them. Counselling provides a safe, equal, and collaborative environment to explore this, grow in self-awareness, and move from a state of incongruence, to one of genuine expression. To support this the counsellor maintains a state of self-awareness and accepts the person as the expert of their own life. Non-judgmental unconditional positive regard, attentive listening, and communication of empathy and understanding, by the counsellor, are further pillars of the approach.

Rogers believed that we are all able to find our own solutions, and the relationship between the counsellor and the person seeking counselling provides a nourishing environment for this. The counselling relationship is characterised as trusting, warm, sensitive, and with good rapport. In addition, the core conditions of the person-centred approach: genuineness, empathic understanding, and unconditional positive regard; help support the individual on their journey of change. Research suggests once established the counselling relationship has three healing aspects: firstly, it provides an authentic social connection; secondly, due to what is known and understood about counselling, the person anticipates that the process will lead to change; and thirdly it supports the person as they apply congruent goals and healthy behaviours, to their lives. In turn, these three aspects help bring about a better quality of life and a reduction in symptoms.  (Wampold & Budge, 2012)

There are multiple pieces of research that have found counselling and in particular a person-centred approach effective. A five-year evaluation conducted in the UK, with 697 participants, found that person centred counselling was effective for mild to moderate depression and anxiety, and could be considered a viable alternative to cognitive behavioural therapy (Gibbard & Hanley, 2008), additionally 90% of participants stated that they had found counselling helpful. Counselling is also effective across the lifespan with a 2005 meta-analysis finding that counselling is as effective for depression and anxiety with older people as it is with younger populations (Hill & Brettle, 2005). And finally, increasingly counselling is being offered online, people have questioned if it can be as effective this way, but research suggests it can, with a 2020 review by Poletti et al., describing it as a trustworthy and efficacious alternative.

Rebecca Home is a recently qualified counsellor. She has completed a graduate diploma in counselling at Deakin University. The course was accredited by the Australian Counselling Association (ACA). She is a level one member of the ACA, which requires that she receive regular supervision of her practice by a qualified supervisor, partake in ongoing professional development and adhere to the ethical code. She also holds a Bachelor of Psychology (honours) from Deakin University. She has completed Level 1 & 2 Gottman relationship training, and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) with Russ Harris. She has a wealth of life experience, is originally from the UK and is a parent. She comes from a background in health & wellness, youth work and the Arts.

It is not possible to give a definitive answer about how many sessions you will need, as different issues and depths of problems can affect the duration of therapy, however on average you should plan for therapy to take between 6 and 20 sessions.

Please book online via the booking portal. Fees for the sessions start at $90 and are payable before the start of the session via the online portal. I am currently not registered with any Health Funds. A limited number of lower priced places are available to those on low incomes, please enquire. To cancel an appointment please cancel and rebook via the booking portal, or email rebeccahomecounselling@gmail.com. Cancellations must be made within 24 hours of the appointment time, or a full fee will be charged (except in exceptional circumstances).

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Ensure you are in a private space and won’t be interrupted. This is important for maintaining your confidentiality, but also to make it easier for you to focus and go deeper into the issues important to you. Useful tips – close your doors, wear headphones, arrange for childcare/ partner to be out and/or take the children out. Sometimes to get the space necessary in a busy house you might consider parenting practices you don’t usually like such as putting on a favourite movie for a child, letting a teenager play a computer game for longer than usual, to ensure you don’t get interrupted. Work out what you are most comfortable with and works best for you. In some cases, your car might also be a private space you can use.

Your comfort during the session is really important. Simple things like making sure you have been to the toilet, having water and a box of tissues available, a comfortable place to sit, that the temperature of the room is comfortable, and perhaps having a comforting blanket or cushion that offers security, can greatly enhance your experience and ability to focus. Also because of the convenience of online counselling people often sit down straight after finishing another activity, sometimes it can help to take a few minutes before the session to disengage from what you were doing. Sitting quietly and taking long slow deep breaths can help.

Read through the informed consent document before your first session so that you are clear about what to expect, your rights, and responsibilities as a client. Write down any questions that come up so the therapist can help to clarify anything that is unclear.

Due to the remote nature of online counselling if an emergency occurs during your session that requires that the therapist get help to you, it is critically important that the therapist has up to date details of where you are, and how to get in touch with you.

If  there is a problem with the internet and the video call needs to be stopped for technical reasons, please ensure that you have a mobile phone or landline, charged and nearby.  The therapist can then call you and continue the session via phone if this is something you are comfortable with.

Ensure that your room is adequately lit so the therapist can see your face well. Although online therapy can be just as effective as in person therapy, sometimes it can be harder for your therapist to read nonverbal signals and might miss something, such a tear, or misunderstand what is being communicated, good lighting and high internet bandwidth can help with this.

Make sure you are comfortable with the technology you will be using and that you have everything set up before you start.

Although online therapy is less formal than in person therapy and can be more comfortable being delivered in your home, it is still a professional relationship. Be on time. Ideally find a comfortable place to sit. Unless there are exceptional circumstances try and be out of bed. Avoid wearing revealing clothing you would not wear if meeting face to face. Also think about what is behind you and on your walls, is it information you want to disclose to your therapist. Blur your background if you prefer.

At the end of your session your therapist will ask you to complete a short feedback form. Honest feedback helps the therapist to tailor the sessions to your needs. Once your session has finished it might be helpful to takes some time to think about what was discussed in session. Creating a small ritual might help, such as sitting quietly and enjoying a contemplative cup of tea.

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