Lifecentre Logo - Supporting Survivors of Rape & Sexual Abuse

supporting survivors of rape and sexual abuse

office tel: 01243 786349
helplines  
adults tel: 0844 847 7879
under 18's tel: 0808 802 0808
text: 07717 989 022
email: contact us online
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adult counselling

what to expect when I phone
counselling FAQ
counselling venues
face-to-face counselling

under 18's counselling

face-to-face counselling
counselling FAQ
what are my rights?
contract for counselling

contracts and criteria

adult counselling contract
drug & alcohol contract
referral criteria

 

 

 

woman being counselled
 

"I feel I have gained so much as before coming to Life Centre I did not feel myself at all. Now having had counseling I am back to my old self, happy and full of self-confidence once again. Both counselors I met were fantastic, knew what I felt and how to help me move on. Such welcoming people.”

woman in her 20's
   
 

Drug and Alcohol Use Client Contract

 
orange butterfly

At Lifecentre it is not unusual for our clients to have turned to using drugs or alcohol as a way of blotting out or coping with deeply painful memories. This may have become an addictive coping mechanism that then causes problems of its own.

 

Although we understand some of the reasons behind using substances in this way, it is important to have a clear agreement around the use of drugs/alcohol and your counselling with Lifecentre. This is so that you can be in a place that is stable enough to benefit from the counselling process and be able to commit to it.
In order to help you to achieve your aims in the counselling, we ask you to commit to the following:-
 

• Be in on-going support from one of the local Substance Misuse teams and no longer chaotically using before starting counselling with Lifecentre. We would expect that through your work with local Substance Misuse agencies you would have been able to achieve a significant overall reduction in your primary substance of misuse and to continue in this way throughout the sessions with Lifecentre with a view to achieving total abstinence. We would expect you to be in a stable place, no longer chaotically using.

• While we acknowledge that you may not be totally abstinent from your primary substance of misuse during your course of counselling, we expect you to make the commitment not to come to the sessions in a state of intoxication. Sessions cannot be continued if you are under the influence of drugs/alcohol.

• Some of the people who come to us have had, or are still having, contact with other professionals such as their local Mental Health teams or Drug and Alcohol services. It is very helpful if we know this as we may want to contact them before the Initial Assessment appointment to ensure that we are all working together for your safety and well being. We would only get in touch with them with your consent.

• It is important that you continue accessing support from local Substance Misuse services throughout the duration of your counselling to help you further reduce your use or to prevent any relapse, and to give you the specialist care you deserve. You might do this by using local drop in services or a more structured programme, depending on what is on offer. Counselling can take the lid off powerful emotions and we do not want this to make your drug/alcohol problem worse. Your counsellor will work with you to help you find more healthy coping strategies.

• If you relapse and are no longer stable enough in your substance misuse to benefit from the counselling, you would be referred back to the Community Drug and Alcohol team for further support from them. Your counselling contract would be put on hold until you and your substance misuse key worker feel that you are able to continue with your counselling. In the meantime you would be welcome to use Lifecentre Adult telephone helpline: 0844 847 7879 or our Under 18s helpline: 0808 802 0808 Sunday, Monday, Tuesday & Thursday evenings 7.30pm - 10pm when you are clear-headed.
 

 

"Here to listen - not to judge"
child being counselled
child model used for photo

Paying for your counselling

If your counselling with Lifecentre has been agreed to be funded by DAAT (Drug and Alcohol Action Team), then they will pay for your first 10 sessions (this includes the initial assessment). If you wish to continue your counselling with Lifecentre up to the 24 sessions we offer all clients, then your further 14 sessions will need to be funded by yourself along the definition of costings in our counselling client contract.

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Non Attendance

If you fail to attend 3 counselling appointments without giving 24 hours notice, your DAAT funding will be terminated.

 
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