Counselling Services

1. COUNSELLING

Description of service

This is an appointment based counselling service for men in the ACT, their partners and families. Appointments are generally available only from the Men's Centre Third Floor, Griffin Centre, Genge Street, Civic (02) 6230 6999, but may at other times be offered at other locations under agreements with other services where capacity allows. Sessions usually go for about an hour and people may see the counsellor for as many appointments as needed.

Approach

The counsellor uses a strengths-based approach and adopts a number of counselling models which fit with this approach. 'Strengths-based' simply means that people have strengths, abilities and interests which are resources they can draw on to develop and implement solutions to the issues and problems that have brought them to the Men's Centre. We acknowledge also that sometimes people simply need to be able to come to a place where they can have a private, confidential conversation, one where they can talk, feel heard and not be judged.

Issues dealt with

There are no restrictions on what you can bring to counselling, as we want to be flexible enough to meet a wide range of needs. Some of the issues that our clients have come with in recent times include:

Costs

Canberra Men's Centre does not charge set fees for our counselling services, which are available to men living in the ACT and region, their partners and families. To help Canberra Men's Centre cover some of the costs of offering this service and to offer more counselling time, we ask service users to make a contribution based on $1 for every $1000 of income. For clients with a Health Care card, we suggest a contribution of $15. If service users would like to make a contribution for their counselling, but have difficulty with the amount, they can discuss this with the counsellor.

Canberra Men's Centre has been granted Deductible Gift Recipient status by the Australian Taxation Office. This means these contributions are tax deductible and service users making contributions should remember to keep their receipts.

Admission criteria

Men living in the ACT and region and to partners and family where the focus of counselling directly involves a man (partner, son, father, brother etc).

Vacancies And Waiting Lists

For information about vacancies and waiting lists, please contact the Men's Centre at cmc@menscentre.com.au or phone (02) 6230 6999 during office hours.

Referral process

Call the Men's Centre on (02) 6230 6999 or complete a referral form and fax it back to us. Requests for appointments will be considered by the counsellors, subject to existing waiting lists and prioritising of needs for everyone referred.

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2. ANGER MANAGEMENT

Description of service

Men and Anger: A program for men who want to change their response to anger. The program is a 10-week psycho-educationally based series of modules that address a range of topics and skill-sets, allowing a man to identify his own behaviours, feelings, attitudes and responses which lead to violent/abusive/angry outbursts and actions. As an educative group-based program, it concentrates on cognitive-behavioural techniques as methods of change. 'Men and Anger' is conducted by two male group leaders. Men requesting help with anger management may also be offered one-to-one counselling sessions, which can be helpful when scheduled groups have not yet started or are full. Services are offered from the Men's Centre (Third Floor, Griffin Centre, 20 Genge St, Civic, (02) 6230 6999), but may at other times be offered at other locations under agreements with other services where capacity allows.

Costs

Men using the service are asked to make a financial contribution, but the offer of a place in the group is not based on capacity to pay i.e. fees are negotiable.

Admission criteria

The service is available to men living in the ACT and region who have difficulties managing their anger. This service does not cater exclusively for men involved in domestic violence, i.e. men having problems with anger in other settings (e.g. the workplace, social or public environments) are eligible for support.

Vacancies and Waiting Lists

For information about vacancies and waiting lists, please contact the Men's Centre at cmc@menscentre.com.au or phone (02) 6230 6999 during office hours.

Referral process

The program will be advertised via community radio, newspapers and public notices, except when waiting lists exceed the numbers of places in the group. Numbers will be strictly limited to ten and an interview with one of the group leaders will be required to ensure the applicant's suitability for the group. Once all the places are filled, men still on the waiting list will be given priority to join the next group. To make a referral, call the Men's Centre on (02) 6230 6999 or complete referral form and send it to the Canberra Men's Centre at the address on the contact us page.

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3. PEER SUPPORT

Description of service

This Men's Centre has been running a men's peer support group for two years, providing a place for men who wish to share their thoughts, ideas and experiences in an informal, safe and confidential environment. The group is led by the counsellor/group worker and meets every second Wednesday evening between 7.00pm and 9.00pm. Refreshments are provided.

Approach

Group members decide themselves what they need to have in a group which is safe for them and meets their needs, for example; agreements about confidentiality, punctuality, giving one another space to talk and listen. Using a participatory, non-directive and strengths-based approach, group leaders encourage the men to 'own' the group, take the initiative to respond to each other's experiences and explore ideas, suggestions and solutions. 'Strengths-based' simply means that people have strengths, abilities and interests which are resources they can use with the issues and problems that have brought them to the group.

Costs

At present, this is a free service, although provision may be made within the next 12 months for contributions by service users with capacity to pay. It's expected that we will use a sliding scale based on income, but fees will always be negotiable.

Admission criteria

No specific criteria.

Vacancies and Waiting Lists

The group is limited to eight permanent members. Once the group is full, men may be put on a waiting list and entry to the group will then be considered on a needs basis by the counsellor/group leader. For information about vacancies and waiting lists, please contact the Manager, Greg Aldridge at grega@menscentre.com.au or phone (02) 6230 6999 during office hours.

Referral process

Call the Men's Centre on (02) 6230 6999 or complete a referral form and send it to the Canberra Men's Centre at the address on the contact us page. Requests will be considered by the counsellor/group worker, subject to existing waiting lists and prioritizing of needs for everyone referred. At this point, any man interested in joining the group will have a meeting with one of the group leaders and together they will decide whether the group is suitable for him.

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