The Client Journey at Nexus

Triage is a tool we use when we are processing your referral to gain further insight into your needs and to determine the most appropriate response and support for you based on your current circumstances.

At Nexus, the triage process involves you either completing a triage form which is sent to you by our team (note: this may go into your junk or spam folder, so make sure to keep an eye out there as well as in your regular email inbox), or completing a telephone triage appointment with us. The reason we use triage as a tool is to provide you with the most appropriate support. As with completing our referral form, our team can support you to complete your triage form if you require assistance.

Your Initial Assessment is the final step is supporting Nexus to determine the suitability of our services for you at this time. This is conducted by a trained counsellor to explore your circumstances in more detail based on the information you have given us so far. The assessment is held either virtually or in- person; you will be asked what your preference is and we will aim to meet your needs as best we can.

The Initial Assessment will last up to an hour. It is at this stage where it will be decided if Nexus is the right service for you at this time. If we feel you would be better supported by another provider based on your circumstances, we will refer you to them at this point. If our service is right for you, you will be informed at this stage.

A session can refer to an individual counselling session, where you will meet with your assigned counsellor at the same time each week for a set amount of weeks (currently 12 for adults and 18 for children). You will agree to meet either virtually online, via phone, or in-person at one of our regional hubs across Northern Ireland.

It is important that you do your best to attend all sessions where possible, and if you can’t attend that you give us at least 24 hours notice so we can reassign your appointment slot to someone else.

‘DNA’ means ‘Did Not Attend’, and refers to a client who did not attend a scheduled appointment – including the Initial Assessment – without informing us. We understand there may be many reasons for not being able to attend/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.

Please familiarise yourself with our DNA and cancellation policy here as not attending or cancelling late may have an impact on our service to you.

Aftercare refers to the support available to you as a Nexus client after you have completed your counselling journey. Our aftercare programme is called RESET. You can read more about these services here and you can speak to your counsellor about joining if you are interested.

Our triage form is emailed to you to complete and return to Nexus within 7 days. If you do not return the form in 7 days, we will have to assume you no longer wish to engage with us and close your file. This means you will have to re-refer yourself if you wish to engage again. Instructions on how to complete the triage form are provided; if you need support completing this form you can call us on 028 9032 6803. Note: the email could go into your junk or spam folder, so make sure to keep an eye out there as well as in your regular email inbox.

We also offer telephone triage appointments to anyone who may be finding it difficult to complete the form alone, which last up to 30 minutes; again though if you don’t engage with this call by answering, unfortunately we will have to close your file. You will be informed via email if you will be moving to the next stage of process. If you are not moving to the next stage, a phone call will be made by one of our Referral Agents to advise you about more appropriate supports for your needs at this time.

An Initial Assessment will be completed with you either virtually or in person with a counsellor. This is the final step to help us determine if Nexus services are right for you at this time. This will take around an hour.

If you miss this appointment, it will be classed as a ‘DNA’ and unfortunately we will have to close your file. After this appointment, the counsellor completing the assessment will inform you whether individual counselling is most appropriate for you at this time. Our services are sometimes not appropriate for a small minority of people, if this is the case a member of our team will call you and provide you with details of more appropriate support.

If you’re recommended for counselling, our Admin Team will contact you to organise your first appointment based on your preferences regarding area, time and format (in person or online) on your referral form.

Individual Counselling sessions will last 50 minutes and will take place at the same time every week for up to 12 weeks. If you cannot make an appointment we ask that you give 24 hours notice. If you miss an appointment without giving notice (referred to as a ‘Did Not Attend’ or ‘DNA’), you will unfortunately lose this appointment.

We regret that the service may be withdrawn from you if you continue to not give us 24 hours notice or do not turn up to your appointments. Our policy on DNAs and cancellations is available on our website here, please familiarise yourself with this.

Once you complete your counselling you may be eligible to take part in our aftercare service, ‘RESET’. Find out more about RESET here.