Things to Know About Counselling

• I am very open and willing to talk to you about your thoughts and concerns regarding your child and to provide a general update on the counselling themes and progress. Your child’s privacy and safety are of the utmost importance to me.

• I promise to let you know if I have a serious concern about your child’s safety.

• I hope it is reassuring for you to know that I have a duty to protect your child. Other members of the Galbraith Care Team or agencies will only be involved if your child discloses that:           

                           ~ Someone is harming them

                           ~ They know of someone who is being harmed

                           ~ They are harming someone

                           ~ They want to harm themselves

 

• Seeing me is a complimentary service, your child can stop seeing me for counselling at any time.

• Your child’s counselling records are securely stored, and access is limited to the counsellor, with the exception of those individuals who are responsible for the secure storage of files.

 

Overall, there are many good things about working with a counsellor, and there are some cautions I want to tell you about so you and your child can make an informed decision to help you child learn more skills and strategies to manage stress and feelings.

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Benefits – The Good Stuff: Your child may feel calmer, safer, happier and more in control of her/his world. She/he may get along better with others and is better able to solve her/his problems.

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The Cautions: As part of the growth process, sometimes unexpected feelings may surface for your child. These feelings can be uncomfortable, rest assured I am trained to handle these reactions. If you want any ideas on how to help your child through this transition, please ask me any time.

If at any time I feel that your child would benefit from greater therapeutic interventions, I will connect with you to explore the agencies and resources available in our community.  

 

Counselling during a Global Pandemic:​

In case of another school closure or the possibility of moving to scenario two (blended) I would also like to address the potential of Online Tele-Counselling with your child. In the event that schools close again and you would still like your child to have access to counselling support, you are able to include consent for tele-counselling.

 

Online counselling support has the same purpose or intention as counselling sessions that are conducted in person; however, due to the nature of the technology used, online support may be experienced somewhat differently than face-to-face sessions. All of the counselling parameters listed are applicable to online tele-counselling.  

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It is important to understand that there are risks and consequences of participating in online counselling sessions, including, but not limited to, the possibility, despite best efforts to ensure high encryption and secure technology on the part of the District, that: the transmission of your child’s information could be disrupted or distorted by technical failures; the transmission of information could be interrupted by unauthorized persons. There is a risk that services could be disrupted or distorted by unforeseen technical problems.

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With tele-counselling there is a risk of being overheard by anyone near your child if they are not in a private room while participating in online counselling. It will be the responsibility of the parent/guardian to provide the technology required in the child’s home and internet access for your child’s online counselling sessions. Please do your best to arrange a location with sufficient lighting and privacy that is free from distractions or intrusions. It is my responsibility to do the same and I value your child’s privacy and want to provide the best services possible in these conditions. With respect for your child’s privacy it is also an expectation that the sessions are not recorded.