Counselling offers you the opportunity to discuss any concerns you may have about a diagnosis of dementia and what that might mean for you or your family. It can also provide an opportunity to discuss other personal issues, which may or may not be related to the illness. Counselling is based on a confidential supportive relationship between you and the counsellor.
How can counselling help?
Being told that you have dementia or knowing that someone you care about has this condition can be traumatic. People react in different ways and experience a range of feelings and emotions.
Counselling can help you to look at these issues and to talk about them in a way that is not always possible with friends or family. This can help to reduce stress and enable you to come to terms with the condition and the changes in your life.
Who can use the service?
Our counselling service is primarily for people with dementia or their carers. Counselling can be provided on an individual, couple or family/group basis, depending on the person's needs.
Is there a cost?
No. We provide a free counselling service.
Confidentiality
The counsellor offers an independent, confidential counselling service. Consultation with other parties would only be with your consent and you would therefore be aware of any issues being discussed.
Only in exceptional circumstances, where there are good grounds for believing that a person is at risk of being harmed, would the counsellor be unable to maintain this rule of confidentiality.