Counselling

The Patricia Giles Centre offers counselling through its Counselling Service for Women. All counsellors have tertiary qualifications in counselling and extensive experience in the field.

More Information

• Counselling for Women
• Counselling for Children

Counselling for Women

Information

You can phone for information about what services may be able to assist you, to find out more about domestic violence or to talk about accommodation if you need to find somewhere safe to stay.

Counselling

Crisis and short term counselling is offered via the telephone and also face to face. To see a counsellor simply phone and make an appointment to come into the centre. The counselling environment is welcoming, comfortable and non-judgmental.

If you have pre-school age children there is a child support service available to supervise them during your counselling session – just let the counsellor know when making your appointment if you wish to use this service.

Referrals and Advocacy

Support is given to women who require assistance and written referrals to agencies such as Centrelink, Police, Legal Aid, Department for Child Protection, Ministry of Housing and Works and other government and non-government agencies.

Assistance in seeking legal advice can be arranged through the Domestic Violence Legal Aid Unit.

Outreach

An outreach service is provided to ex-refuge residents who have relocated from anywhere in Western Australia to the Joondalup or Wanneroo areas. (Please note that counsellors cannot provide counselling inside private dwellings)

Services offered include ongoing emotional and practical support, advocacy, information and referrals to relevant services.

Fresh Start

This handbook is free of charge for clients. It contains information about abusive relationships and is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Thai.

Community Education

Counsellors are available for presentations in workplaces, teaching and training institutions, or at conventions and conferences.

Counselling for Children

How witnessing violence may affect your children:

What children may feel...	What children might think...
Scared Powerless Confused Bad Helpless Angry Guilty about loving the abusive parent Guilty about not protecting the abused parent Worried about the future Worried about the possible loss of a parent Insecure Hopeless Split down the middle Numb	Men have the right to control women Violence is an appropriate way to solve problems The violence is my mother's fault The violence is my fault Nothing is safe Domestic violence has to be kept secret My father hates me, so I must be a bad person

The Patricia Giles Centre Children's Counselling Service provides individual counselling, group programmes, camps and family day outings for clients, mostly children aged 4-18, who have witnessed and/or experienced violence in the family.

Support is also given to the children’s primary carers.

The counselling is conducted in metropolitan women's refuges, outreach venues and at the Children's Counselling Service office.

Camps are held twice a year in school holidays to strengthen attachment within the families. Family picnics are held as a followup to the camps to facilitate families establishing a support network, which aids in breaking the cycle of violence.

Children's Counselling Service clients do not have to have been refuge residents. Referrals come from a variety of sources. The initial call can be made by the parents, caregiver or by service personnel. Community education, conference presentations, networking and general awareness-building are also very important components of Children's Counselling Service activities.