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Frequently Asked Questions

The following information will assist you with any immediate questions or concerns you may have about the Service in general.

How can counselling help?
Will counselling sessions be confidential?
Will the counsellors be professionally qualified?
What issues can I discuss with the counsellor?
Do I have to make an appointment to see a counsellor?
What is the Walk in Clinic and how does it work?
How long are the appointments?
Do I have to pay for the appointment?
How do I cancel an appointment?
What happens to my records?
How is a professional relationship with a counsellor different from other relationships?
How many times will I need to counselling?
Why does the counselling service send out surveys?
What else does the counselling service offer?
How do I give feedback or offer suggestions to the counselling service?


How can counselling help? Counselling can help you get a clearer understanding of your issues, identify resources to face the issues and find effective solutions.


Will the counselling sessions be confidential? What you discuss with the counsellor is confidential and will not appear on your academic record. The counselling service will only release information to people outside the service if; a) you agree, b) there is a legal requirement, such as a subpoena, c) we consider we have a duty of care to you and are concerned about your safety or the safety of someone else.


Will the counsellors be qualified? Our counsellors are professionally qualified as Clinical Psychologists, Psychologists or Social Workers who are registered as Psychologists and/or Clinical Psychologists with the Psychology Board of Australia or are accredited members of the Australian Association of Social Workers. All our counsellors spend considerable time maintaining and updating their professional skills in order to ensure they are offering you service of the highest professional standard.


What issues can I discuss with a counsellor? Our staff are here to help you with any issue which might otherwise interfere with academic or personal effectiveness. Some common issues include - adjustment to university life, personal and family difficulties, anxiety, depression, bereavement, relationship problems, stress and course related problems such as examination anxiety and motivation. You can discuss these or any other issues which are troubling you.


Do I have to make an appointment to see a counsellor? Normally an appointment for individual counselling is required. You can make an appointment by calling the counselling office on (02) 4921 5801 (Callaghan) or (02) 4348 4060 (Ourimbah). You can email your request to counselling@newcastle.edu.au(Callaghan) or to student-support-ourimbah@newcastle.edu.au (Ourimbah). Please include your contact number so we can call you to arrange a time. At Callaghan campus you can also attend the Walk in Clinic.


What is the Walk in Clinic and how does it work? The Walk in Clinic is held at Callaghan campus and has been established to ensure students who would like to secure an appointment as soon as possible and who have not accessed the counselling service this year will have the opportunity to speak with a counsellor. Appointments are not prebooked for these clinics and they operate on a first in first served basis. Clinics are held each Monday and Wednesday throughout the year and an additional clinic is held on a Thursday from Week 6 of each semester. All clinics start at 2pm however we advise you arrive no later than 1.50pm to give yourself a better chance of seeing someone on the day. If you miss out on a Walk in Clinic appointment, please see reception to be placed on the appointment waiting list.


How long are the appointments? 50 minutes are set aide for each appointment and they usually start on the hour.


Do I have to pay for the appointment? The counselling service is a free service offered to students enrolled at the University of Newcastle. While counselling is not usually offered to university staff at the on campus counselling service, all staff are offered free counselling throught the Employee Assistance Program. Visit http://www.newcastle.edu.au/service/health-safety/health-safety-support/employee-assistance-program/for more information about EAP.


How do I cancel an appointment? If you are unable to keep an appointment, we would appreciate if you could contact us as soon as possible to let us know. We like to offer any cancelled appointments to those on our waiting lists.


What happens to my records?Client records are stored in a secured central filing system, accessible only to the counselling service. Client records are held for 7 years from the date of last contact and confidentially destroyed after this period. This is accordance with the NSW State Records Act 1998 and Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002. Clients have the right to request access to their file as outlined in NSW Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002, and would only be refused access as outlined in section 29 of this Act. Any demographic data that you provide is used strictly for statistical purposes with no individual identified.


How is my relationship with my counsellor different to other relationships? The counselling relationship is a professional one and counsellors follow certain ethical principles. Although there may be a high level of friendliness, counsellors do not become their clients' friends to ensure their personal feelings do not interfere with the counselling process.


How many times will I need to come to counselling? The counselling service usually offers short-term counselling. For some people one session is enough to deal with their issues. For others, further sessions are required. In this case, the number and frequency of sessions will be negotiated with your counsellor. If your counsellor thinks you would benefit from referral to another service, they will discuss this with you.


Why does the counselling service send out surveys? From time to time we may conduct surveys relating to client satisfaction with the Counselling Service. We would appreciate your anonymous participation in such surveys if you have agreed to participate.


What else does the counselling service offer? We have created a series of Tip Sheets covering many topics which can affect you personal and/or academic life. Printed sheets are available in our waiting room or via our website at http://www.newcastle.edu.au/service/counselling/resources-and-tip-sheets.html.  We hold Mindfulness Meditation courses each semester at Callaghan Campus. Please call 49215801 for information about course dates and details. We offer downloadable meditation exercises which are available on our website at http://www.newcastle.edu.au/service/counselling/meditation.html. We have a selection of useful web links for information on a large range of issues and problems at http://www.newcastle.edu.au/service/counselling/useful-links.html. Information to assist you in times of crisis including contact numbers of various community organisations are available via http://www.newcastle.edu.au/service/counselling/coping-with-a-crisis.html.

How do I give feedback or offer suggestions to the counselling service? The counselling service welcomes any feeback you may have about your experience here or about the service in general. If you have thoughts about how else we may be of help to you, for example tip sheet topics or short seminar/workshop discussions forums - please email us at counselling@newcastle.edu.au . We are here to assist you so we welcome any suggestions about additional services we may provide for you.

Do I have to make an appointment if I want to see a counsellor?
Normally an appointment for individual counselling is required. In addition, at both Callaghan and Ourimbah, there are appointments available for urgent situations.
How is a professional relationship with a counsellor different from other relationships?

The counselling relationship is a professional relationship and counsellors follow certain ethical principles.

Although within the counselling session there may be a high level of friendliness, counsellors do not become their clients' friends, as this may interfere with the counselling process.

Counsellors are not permitted to have romantic or intimate relationships with their clients.

How long are counselling appointments?
Counselling appointments may take up to fifty minutes and usually start on the hour.
How many times will I need to come back to a counsellor?

For some people one appointment is enough to deal with their issue. Other people need to come more than once.

If counselling is likely to be more than one or two sessions then your counsellor will usually make a contract with you regarding your goals in counselling and a time frame for counselling.

If the counsellor thinks you could benefit from referral to another Service, they will discuss this with you.

What if I can't keep a counselling appointment?
If you are unable to keep an appointment, please notify us so that the appointment time can be used by someone else. We would appreciate as much notice as possible.
What issues can I discuss with a counsellor?
You may discuss any issue of a personal nature which could interfere with the achievement of your goals. Such issues include: personal and family difficulties, anxiety, depression, bereavement, relationship problems, situational stress, and course-related problems such as examination anxiety, motivation, etc. Counselling is a collaborative process whereby you are encouraged and assisted to resolve issues and gain skills.
Why are there surveys for the Counselling Service?
From time to time we may conduct surveys of client satisfaction with our Service. We would appreciate your anonymous participation in such surveys which help us to monitor and improve the Service. We always seek your permission before mailing out a survey form.
Will counselling sessions be confidential?

All contacts with a counsellor are confidential within the Counselling Service. Counsellors are bound by professional codes of confidentiality. We require your verbal or written permission before we release any information about you to anyone within or outside of the University.

The only exceptions to this strict policy of confidentiality are as follows:

  1. When the counsellor makes a professional judgement that you or someone else may be at risk of harm.
  2. Counsellors are required by law to disclose information relating to the abuse of children.
  3. On rare occasions, the counsellor may be subpoenaed by a court of law to disclose information.

If any of the above circumstances arise the counsellor would discuss the need for disclosure with you.

Will the counsellor be professionally qualified?

All counsellors are professionally qualified as Psychologists or Social Workers. They are registered as Psychologists in NSW or are accredited members of the Australian Association of Social Workers.

Our International student counsellor has expertise in assisting International students.

All counsellors spend a considerable amount of time maintaining and updating their professional skills in order to ensure that they offer you a service of high professional standard.

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