Counselling

Support

Find out about how we support survivors with counselling, workshops, advocacy, and about resources and practical exercises for support.

One-to-one Counselling

Our counsellors and therapists are either fully qualified or nearing the completion of their training. One in Four is committed to user empowerment and operates a thorough quality assurance and competency framework for all professional services.

One-to-one counselling, also called therapy, with one of our counsellors offers you the space to look at any concerns you have about yourself, and your relationships, in a safe relationship with a professional trained to listen.

We give you the opportunity to explore and work through your experience of childhood sexual abuse or violence, and any other traumas.

One in Four offers a holistic approach to therapy, valuing you as a unique individual. It takes courage and resilience to survive sexual violence and child sexual abuse. Our counsellors understand many of the challenges you have faced and how you have fought for your survival, sometimes in ways harmful to you.

We believe post-traumatic growth is possible so your personal history no longer dictates who you are and how you live your life.

The counselling process enables you to move from surviving to thriving and towards beginning to live a more fulfilling and meaningful life. We recognise this takes time, so we can offer you long term one-to-one counselling.

An individual counselling session is 50 minutes and is usually weekly at the regular appointment time. Appointments are available Monday to Saturday for daytime and Monday to Friday evenings.
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Counselling consultation and contributions

Before you start counselling, you will be invited to a pre-assessment call to see if you qualify for the service. The call will last around 10-15 minutes and consists of a series of questions to check whether you meet our criteria for support. Given the demand of our services we appreciate your responsiveness to our communication, this will be clearly stated in our emails.

The assessment will involve one of the team spending about 40 minutes to an hour with you to gather a brief history and give you further information about One in Four, this is to help us allocate the right counsellor for you. If we feel that you would be best served by accessing a different type of support service, then we will talk to you about it after this assessment.

The assessment is a chance for both you and us to decide if One in Four is the best service for you. We do this to ensure that our work with you is carried out in a safe manner, as well as supporting you to make informed choices. If we feel that you would be best served by accessing a different type of supporting service, then we will talk to you about it after this assessment.

If a decision is taken that you will proceed to having counselling with One in Four you will be asked to sign a Client Contract for your therapy which will be explained to you by your counsellor in your first session. Your healing journey will be unique to you, and your counsellor will support you in understanding the impact of the abuse and resource you to lead the best life possible as an adult, to feel able to allow the past (traumatised child) to come into your todays, little by little to be healed. This is not about ‘going back’ (regression) to a powerless traumatic place, but allowing the trauma (child) to come to an equipped adult who can help them.

One in Four is a charity and we ask for a contribution towards your assessment and long term counselling, the request will be between £20-£75. For clients not in employment, the contribution request is £20 per session and for those in employment we use a sliding scale based on annual earnings.

“When I found the right therapist who gave me time, patience, without judgement and provided a safe space, I slowly began to trust for the first time ever.”

Cancellations

We try to give as much notice as possible if your appointment has to be cancelled and two weeks notice if your counsellor is away for two weeks or more.

If you are unable to give us 72 hours notice to cancel your session, your contribution still applies. Clients who miss and/or cancel three sessions in a 3 month period will be discharged.

Alcohol and drugs

We recognise at times the use of alcohol and drugs can be a coping mechanism. In such circumstances, our aim will be to explore more caring ways for you to cope. Please discuss this with your counsellor or therapist and feel free to discuss this.

To fully participate in the counselling, we ask that you refrain from taking any substances 48 hours prior to your session.

Ethics and confidentiality

Our counsellors and therapists are members of various governing bodies including the NCS (National Counselling Society), the BACP (British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists) and the UKCP (UK Council for Psychotherapy) and abide by their ethical framework for good practice.

Our counsellors and therapists have an obligation to have ongoing clinical supervision to enhance the quality of their work. Confidentiality is strictly upheld within our team and all counsellors and therapists are bound by the same code of ethics and confidentiality.

Limits of confidentiality

One in Four is committed to maintaining the highest levels of confidentiality. The exceptions to this policy will be if we believe the health and safety of someone is at risk, or if we are legally obliged to disclose material. In such circumstances, our commitment is always to discuss the situation with you and decide together the next step forward.