What to expect from your journey at Lighthouse

Perhaps this is the first time you have sought help, or maybe you’ve spoke with someone before?  Either way, it can hard to know what to expect, so we’ve put this together to help answer some frequently asked questions about counselling and our service.   

Most people make first contact with us by telephone. Some find their way to us themselves, others through another person like a friend, family member or someone that’s supporting them formally, like a Social Worker, NURSE, Doctor or following a hospital visit.  When you first call us, you’ll speak someone who’ll take your details.  We’ll want to get an overview of how things are with you right now.  Sometimes people call us when they are upset, distressed or having suicidal thoughts.  The priority of the person you speak with is to ensure that you are safe and can keep safe.  If appropriate, we’ll can get a brief chat about what support you’re looking for.  If you need a service that we can’t provide, or need specialist help, we’ll do our best to find the right place for you.   

If you feel we could help, we’ll get an appointment set up for you to come and see us face to face.  This is when we can do our assessment, which means talking more in-depth about the issues that have been troubling you.  We’ll talk more about you, life events, and what you’d like to get from the service.  This helps us ensure that we can match you with the right service and person that we feel will work well with you. We have a team of people who all work with different issues and a range of approaches.  If there is a reason why our services aren’t right for you, its our job to find you one that is.   

There are some issues that we don’t work with, but don’t let this put you off contacting us as we can perhaps direct you to the right service.   

We don’t work with anyone under 12 years old, but we do know services that do. If you are dependant on alcohols or drugs then we’ll want to get you working with a service that has expertise in this.   Similarly, if you have a complex mental health diagnosis, then we’ll want to get you help by the appropriate service.  

We’ll normally write out to your GP, and any other relevant professionals your currently involved with.  This is simply to let them know you are working with us, and then when you are finished.  We appreciate that when people come for support they feel ready to start, so we try not to have long waiting lists and we’ll do our best to get our counselling underway quickly.