Our Service

Who is the service for?

The service is for people who are experiencing or have experienced homelessness (being of no fixed abode or staying in temporary accommodation).

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What type of counselling is offered?

The Folan Trust offers psychodynamic counselling. Psychodynamic therapy makes room to consider what we might not be immediately conscious or aware of and explores the relationship between our past and our present to help to lessen the power that the past may still have on our present.

 

It is common to access counselling on account of past trauma that still feels unresolved and is continuing to have an impact. Painful experiences can produce intense feelings that are very difficult to manage. These feelings can often unconsciously be blocked or pushed out of awareness as a way of coping. In therapy, it can be important to explore the links that may exist between past and present experience. The therapist tries to help the client to understand their difficulties better. Symptoms will often begin to very gradually lessen as the tension driving them is resolved.

Counsellors also encourage mentalising - being able to reflect on how we think about ourselves and others and how we understand others’ ways of thinking and behaving towards us. This can support us to become more able to cope with powerful feelings that we might experience and help how we relate to others.

 

Do you offer addiction counselling?

While we work with people who actively use or depend on substances, our primary intention in doing so is not to treat addiction though change in this area may be a secondary outcome. Similarly, while we can work with individuals who have a mental ill health diagnosis, we do not expect to fully resolve mental illness but rather to enable clients to work through and better manage issues that cause them distress. We, therefore, work in a way that is non-directive and where the client determines what is talked about and worked with. Our approach is one of being accepting of the complexity of need that exists within our client group and attempting to make the service accessible to people who may ordinarily experience barriers in accessing this type of service. 

 

How often are sessions and how long does counselling last?

Sessions are offered once a week and last 50 minutes. The duration of counselling is usually agreed at the first session. It is possible to come for only a short time but, more typically the opportunity exists for the work to be medium to long-term (e.g. for up to 18 months or for longer when it is helpful to do so).

 

Who delivers the service?

Our counsellors are fully trained and have experience of working in homelessness. They are registered and/or accredited with BACP (the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy) and practise in accordance with BACP’s ethical framework for good practice in counselling. Our counsellors undertake regular clinical supervision in order to support their practice and to effectively monitor the quality of their work.

 

Click here for information on how to make a referral for counselling.
 
Click here to download our service leaflet for further information about the counselling process and what to expect in coming for sessions.