Talking Connections Counselling

Talking Connections

Counselling

Talking Connections is the name of the Counselling Service, delivered by MHM Wales, in the borough of Bridgend for people aged 18+.

Our aim is to support residents of the borough around their wellbeing and mental health.

Why Counselling?

At certain times in our lives many of us experience emotional difficulties that affect our ability to cope with daily life or the quality of our life and relationships.

Counselling can help you to express your feelings, to clarify your thoughts and to understand yourself better. It assists you to identify choices and to make changes in your life so that you manage them more effectively.

Counselling is a talking therapy that enables you to find your own answers. The counsellor’s role is neither to provide solutions nor to give advice. Counsellor and client work together to explore different ways of dealing with things.

Is Counselling the right thing for me?

Short term counselling is not appropriate for personality or behaviour disorders or severe or enduring mental health conditions. If you feel that you are in need of immediate help you may wish to consult your GP.

Talking Connections provides counselling sessions, which cover a broad range of client issues, these include:

Anxiety
Anger
Bereavement & Loss
Depression
Disability
Eating disorders
Family/domestic violence
Gender identity disorders
Gender based violence
Health
Panic attacks
Parent/Child conflict
Self-esteem
Separation & loss
Sexual abuse
Stress
Substance Misuse
Trauma, including PTSD

**The list is not exhaustive**

Service Cost:

£10.00 per weekly session

Waiting List:

Our list currently stands at 16 - 20 weeks.

For further information, please refer to the contact details below or use the referral forms located at the bottom of the page.

Union Offices, Quarella Road, Bridgend, Cf31 1JW

talkingconnections@mhmwales.org

01656 649557

Face to Face

Telephone

Video Chat

Our Sessions

We provide face to face, telephone and video chat counselling sessions and can accommodate sessions in a wide range of languages, when possible, as per the availability of our counsellors. Please contact the office for more information.

Referrals and Leaflets

Self-Referral

Form

Counselling

Leaflet

Application for

Placement

Counselling

Overview

Client-Referral

for Professionals

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

How do I access the service?

To access Talking Connections you will need to complete a referral form. The Project Coordinator on receipt of the referral will acknowledge receipt and the referral will be placed on the waiting list for allocation when a counsellor becomes available.

When will the counselling sessions start and how many sessions will I have?

Counselling sessions are offered to clients in the order in which they are received and our current waiting time is confirmed above. Once you have your start date for counselling confirmed, up to six weekly counselling sessions will be arranged with you, A review is then undertaken, where if felt; additional sessions maybe arranged. Each counselling session can last up to 60 minutes.

To ensure fairness in our referral process, there are no priority appointments.

What if I miss or cannot attend an appointment?

If a situation arises where you will not be able to attend an appointment you should ring the service and speak to the project coordinator to tell them you are unable to attend. There is also has an answerphone where a message can be left outside of the opening times of the service.

If a message has not been received the Project Coordinator will contact you to discuss any reasons for not attending and arrange a new appointment. If you fail to attend the follow up appointment or make contact to cancel the appointment the project coordinator will again contact you to either reschedule another appointment or to inform you of your removal from the service.

Is the Talking Connections Counselling Service registered and are the counsellors qualified?

Talking Connections is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who are responsible for upholding and enforcing the Data Protection Act. Talking Connections stores any personal information relating to clients in accordance to the Act.

Talking Connections adopt the Code of Ethics and Practice of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and is also registered with them and all our counsellors receive regular clinical supervision for their work.

We have a number of counsellors with various skills, methods and models of working with clients on a 1:1 basis. Our counsellors range from fully qualified and experienced counsellors to experienced trainee counsellors who are working towards obtaining their degree, and undertaking their student placements. Our counsellors are trained in various models, some of which being Integrative, Person Centred, Narrative, CBT, Solution Focused, and Psychodynamic; we are also on occasions, able to provide exposure based therapy.