Counselling Homework, Activity Three Answers

Its Answers time, Remember these are my answers and not in any way professional or totally correct! Also remember that i do a lot of this in class, so i get lots of help from fellow students and my tutor.

You are setting up your own voluntary counselling service.

1. Think of a name for your counselling service? any suggestions will be taken into consideration for my future practice!

Well in class, I came up with 'The Helping Hand'. But some of the suggestions i got where excellent!
Ruth's: THE LISTENING EAR was great.
Some not so excellent:
Tomcats: "Rambunctious Red's" (me thinks he thought brothel not counselling service!lol!)

Any more suggestions?

2. What kind of premises would be most suitable?

A purpose built building would of course be the best option, but this would cost lots of money and as this is a voluntary service, you just don't have that amount of cash!
So a large Victorian terrace would be good.
Something with front and rear access, for privacy and confidential issues, also better disabled access.
The building should be situated away from the centre of town, this is again for confidentiality issues.

3. How can you make best use of the setting in which counselling takes place? (consider-privacy, equality, safety, comfort)

• Privacy: Front and Rear access, Windows with frosted glass or blinds.
  
• Equality: Disabled access, including access to all facilities (toilets etc), Hearing Aid Loop.
  
• Safety: Panic buttons in counselling rooms, security lights and cctv outside the building, furniture placed at equal distance away from the door.
• Comfort: Calming colours on walls, but no pictures with people or animals, as this might trigger off painful and upsetting memories, comfortable furniture, toilets.
  

4. What can you do to ensure equality of access to the service for all potential clients? (consider physical access, cultural diversity, gender, disability, age, religion etc)

• Physical access: should be available to everyone so this is why we provide disabled access. By also making it a location that is easy reachable by any mode of transport.
• Cultural Diversity: By providing leaflets and information in different languages and having a service available to as many cultures and languages as possible, also having male and female staff to cater for different religious needs.
• Gender: Having male and female staff.
• Disability: catering for people with a range of disabilities, confined to a wheelchair, deaf, blind. These all need individual care and attention so that no one is discriminated. leaflets in larger fonts and in braille.
  
• Age: Catering for all ages by having children counsellors, also being aware that some people may have issues with someone counselling them that is younger or older than them.
• Religion: Having access to a prayer room and male/female staff if their religion requires it.
  

5. Draw a floor plan of your counselling premises on flip chart paper.
(try to incorporate as many ideas as you can into your plan)

Too difficult to put up at the mo, but i am working on it!

Also if you have any more suggestions, comments or answers, please feel free to comment, i welcome any help! If you have been counselling and had a negative/positive experience due to the environment or setting that would also be helpful to me, but of course this might be to personal, its just an enquiry on my part.
I hope you enjoyed doing this and the next one will be up soon. Also i hope that everyone is working on their self development and setting realistic goals to be obtained this year! If you haven't started already, set yourself some now and let me know. The key to this is be realistic, have a look at my recent Thursday Thirteen to see some of mine for this year.
(just read that again, of course you dont have to let me know! but you can if you want)