Carer Counselling Service

As a carer or family member of a person with a mental illness, you might sometimes find it hard to create a balance in your life between your role as a carer and your own personal need to lead as fulfilling life as you can.

There may be times when you feel overwhelmed and exhausted and not able to relate with or care for those around you as you normally would.

Or there may be a particular concern that you feel you would like to talk over with someone who is both caring and objective.

If you are a carer, relative or friend of a person with a mental illness and are over 18 years of age, you are eligible to access ARAFEMI’s face-to-face counselling service.

Counsellors are professionally trained to relate with, support and empower you.

What is counselling?

Counselling works in several ways:

  • It provides you with a confidential and non-judgmental space to talk about your feelings and concerns with someone who cares.
  • If helps to put your concerns into perspective and to see ‘the big picture’.
  • It helps you to discover and explore your needs and strengths so that you can make the best possible choices for your life and those for whom you care.
  • It helps you to find a sense of meaning and self-worth.

ARAFEMI aims to:

  • Provide emotional support for family carers and friends of people who have a mental illness.
  • Provide accurate information for carers.
  • Assist carers to cope with the demands and pressures of caregiving.
  • Increase community awareness and understanding of mental disorders.
  • Convey the needs of carers and families to health care professionals, government and community.
ARAFEMI works in association with The Cairnmillar Institute of Counselling and Psychotherapy. All of our counsellors have professional qualifications, experience, and/or are interns currently completing their post-graduate qualifications in Psychotherapy at Cairnmillar.

Where: Counselling sessions are held at ARAFEMI’s premises: Ground Floor 270 Auburn Road, Hawthorn, 3122.  (Melways 45 F 12)

Time: Each counselling session lasts for sixty minutes with the option to have between two and six sessions normally with the same counsellor each time.

Cost: There is no charge for this service

Counselling is confidential

Appointments

For more information or to make an appointment, phone our Helpline on 1300 550 265