
Our counselling and psychotherapy services
Our team of friendly counsellors/psychotherapists are professionally trained to deal with a range of mental health and relationship problems. Here’s everything you need to know about our compassionate and confidential services and how to get started with counselling or psychotherapy at The FORD Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre.
What is Counselling and Psychotherapy?
Counselling/psychotherapy is the process of talking to someone to work through personal problems. In a safe and non-judgmental setting, our therapists will help you clarify and cope with your issues in a positive way.
Counselling and psychotherapy are quite similar. Usually, counselling is about addressing a problem that is currently happening in your life while psychotherapy is about working through issues related to past events which continue to affect you and may last for a longer period of time. Both can provide people with life-changing personal growth.
Our Relational Approach
Our approach to counselling is open, accepting and non-judgmental. We want clients to feel comfortable so we strive to provide a safe and secure space for them to talk about what has brought them to our service. The strength of the professional relationship therefore is crucial both for therapy to begin and for significant change and transformation to happen. For this reason, confidentiality is also a priority.
Our philosophy of relational, non-diagnostic, person centered approach enables our therapists to connect with and contact the essence of the client, understand their behaviour and empower them to find a path to recovery. Everyone needs something slightly different from therapy. But whatever your issues are, our gentle approach will help you develop the ability to manage them positively.
Our person-centered approach supports personal growth and allows clients to notice and understand negative thoughts and emotions and ultimately free themselves from negative behaviour. Our therapists will help you develop self-awareness, self-compassion and the skills to address your difficulties. Their top-down, bottom up approach is non-judgemental and focuses on contacting and accessing negative thinking patterns, emotions, behaviours and the body. Our clients often discover their problems become more manageable if they feel listened to and understood.
The services and treatments we offer
If you are struggling with any of the following issues and want support from a professionally trained counsellor, talk to The FORD Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre.
Our friendly and professional therapists work with individuals aged 18 upwards. They have held thousands of therapy sessions with hundreds of clients over many years, (some for up to 30 years) so you’re in safe hands. Currently we do not work with under 18s but we are exploring the development of a service for adolescents from 14 to 18.
Here are some of the difficulties they have helped clients address:
Services We Don't Offer
Not everybody needs counselling/psychotherapy and not everybody can be supported by our services. We currently don’t operate a drop-in centre so it is important to make an appointment with us first to assess your needs and suitability for our services.
We don’t work with clients who are presenting with psychosis or other serious mental health issues from the moderate to severe range, including:
- Severe anxiety
- Personality and behaviour disorders
- Schizophrenia and related disorders
- Bi-polar disorder
- Depressive disorders which are severe and long standing
- Eating disorders
- Cognitive impairment or dementia
- Obsessive compulsive disorder Severe Post traumatic stress disorder
We don’t work with clients who are in active addiction. Clients in active addiction are best treated in residential treatments centres. (We do work with clients who are in recovery.)
We don’t work with clients who are actively (in this moment) considering suicide as we do not have office cover after 1pm or a drop-in service. Such clients need to contact their G.P, the Samarirans (Tel. 116123), Pieta House (1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444), a family member or the emergency services such as the Gardai or ambulance services. We do work with clients who are presenting with suicidal ideation and who are feeling low and hopeless about life currently who do not require crisis intervention.
Our Vision
Healthy Wexford Individuals, Families and Communities
Our Values
An ethical and community-based educational approach to counselling psychotherapy.
Ethical
Underpinning all aspects of our work are core values which inspire our approach to counselling/ psychotherapy and allow us to provide a warm welcome to the people of Wexford. These include Respect, Compassion, Competence, Responsibility, Integrity and Teamwork which underpin all counselling and support services.
Anyone can find themselves in need of professional support. At the Ford Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre , we provide all clients with a confidential and non-judgemental service. The overall focus is on building on and developing the clients’ strengths using a strengths-based approach and the empowerment of the individual respecting their uniqueness.
OUR GOVERNANCE
The Board of Directors of the Ford Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre apply best practice standards when it comes to governance and administration. It has robust internal governance systems that are continually reviewed and updated, including:
- Code of Ethics, Best Practice and Policy Guidelines for the Ford Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre Services
- FLS Staff Handbook
- FLS Health and Safety Statement
- FLS Board Handbook