#BreakTheCycle

What is counselling?

Counselling is a form of therapy, offering a safe and confidential space to talk about anything that may be confusing, painful or uncomfortable.

Counselling allows you to talk with someone who is trained to listen attentively and to help you improve how you feel about yourself.

At Nexus, counselling is a very personal process. All of our counsellors are qualified and will adapt their styles to meet your individual needs.

Just as all of our clients are individuals, all of our counsellors are too, they can use different theories and specialisms, but all are committed to helping those impacted by sexual abuse and abusive relationships.

Sometimes it is necessary to talk about painful things or difficult decisions, so you may go through a period of feeling worse than when you started. However, therapy should enable you to feel better in the long run.

At Nexus, counselling is available to anyone who has been impacted by sexual abuse and abusive relationships at any time in their life. We provide support to anyone impacted by sexual abuse from age 8 and upwards and through a range of support services including counselling. Anyone else impacted by abusive relationships/domestic abuse can access support via the Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline on 0808 802 1414 or via dsahelpline.org.

Take a look at our Client Journey information sheet to learn more about what the recovery journey can look like for a Nexus client by clicking here.

At Nexus, details of your counselling sessions are confidential. We will keep your information safe and only release information that will identity you in certain circumstances. Learn more here.

The referral process

So we can be sure you are ready to process your trauma through specialised counselling, we do ask that an initial self-referral form is completed so we can take you through our processes and assign or signpost you to the most appropriate support. The needs of our clients are always at the heart of what we do, and we need this information to find the best support for you. The link to complete a referral form can be found at the bottom of this page. If you need any support completing this form, you can contact our administration team who will be more than happy to help you.

Please note that given the nature of our work, everyone at Nexus is trained to communicate with empathy and compassion, however our admin team are not trained counsellors and are there to help you make a referral and assist with appointments. If you feel you need immediate support in addition to making a referral to join counselling, we encourage you to contact the 24/7 Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline on 0808 802 1414, help@dsahelpline.org or via live chat at dsahelpline.org.

We are pleased to inform that as of Thursday 1st February 2024 we have resumed our referrals from children aged 8+ as counsellor capacity has now increased and we are working hard to triage and prioritise referrals to the most appropriate supports available. Unfortunately referrals from children under this age are still unavailable until appropriate funding becomes available for this age group. Please note a waiting list will be in place as we work through the children who were already waiting.

Our cancellation/’Did Not Attend’ (DNA) policy

We understand there may be many reasons for not being able to attend or having to cancel counselling sessions. However, it is important that at least 24 hours’ notice is given to enable us to repurpose the session to limit delays for other clients.

The purpose of policy accessible via clicking the button below is to ensure all staff, clients, parents, caregivers, and colleagues are aware of the Nexus policy when counselling clients cancel without 24 hour notice and/or ‘do not attend’ (DNA) sessions without contacting Nexus.

The principle of this policy is to support the management of our waiting list and ensure clients are seen in as timely a manner as possible. We encourage you to familiarise yourself with this policy before beginning your counselling journey with Nexus.

The counselling journey

Once you have decided when and where you are able to attend counselling, you will most likely be added to a waiting list for our counselling services.

The waiting list depends on where you can go for counselling, when you can attend and the demand, we’re currently experiencing for counselling services.

Once you have started counselling, you will meet the same counsellor every week for 50 minutes per counselling session.

Counselling will be reviewed at regular intervals so you can discuss how you’re progressing.

Do I have to pay?

On 4th March 2024 Health Minister Robin Swann announced a 12-month extension to our funded adult sexual abuse counselling contract, meaning we can now once again (until 31st March 2025) offer free counselling to adults impacted by sexual abuse. This extension is very welcome and will ensure that there will be continuity of this vital counselling service beyond 31st March 2024.