EDEN Counselling Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Are you thinking about Counselling at EDEN? Please find some frequently asked questions about counselling at EDEN:
What approaches do EDEN counsellors work with?
At EDEN, all counsellors take a non-pathologising and non-medicalising approach to eating difficulties, and work in ways that support individuals to move away from the grasp an eating issue might have on their life. Counsellors at EDEN work within narrative, feminist, socio-cultural and post-structuralist therapeutic frameworks.
Please click here to read the Ethical Framework that guides EDEN Counsellors.
Who are the Counsellors?
EDEN currently has two part-time counsellors. Please click here to see a short biography of counsellors at EDEN.
How do I make an appointment?
When you first come in to EDEN, you will meet with the Support Services Coordinator, who will talk with you about the services that EDEN offers. Each meeting takes about 30 minutes. In this meeting, you are invited to discuss what has brought you to EDEN.
After this Support Services meeting, if you would like to engage with the Counselling Services here at EDEN, we will match you with one of our counsellors and they will contact you to make an appointment.
What if I need to talk to someone when EDEN is closed?
EDEN does not offer crisis counselling services. If you need to talk to someone urgently and/or feel unsafe, please call Lifeline on 0800 111 777 or click here to go to their website, consult your GP or go to your local Emergency Room or Accident and Emergency clinic.
EDEN offers a very small number of counselling sessions outside of business hours. If you would like an after-hours counselling appointment, please discuss this at your Support Services meeting.
If you would like to contact EDEN outside of business hours, please leave a message on our answer service and we will call you back when we clear the phones. Alternatively you can email us at info@eden.org.nz.
What is your policy on confidentiality?
EDEN is guided by the NZAC Code of Ethics in terms of confidentiality. What this means is that the conversations you have in counselling are confidential – excluding two situations. These are: i) if you are in danger of harming yourself and ii) if you are in danger of harming someone else. If either or both of these situations arise, your counsellor is legally obliged to break confidentiality in order to ensure your safety and the safety of those around you.
Do EDEN Counsellors have professional supervision?
Yes, all EDEN counsellors receive professional supervision from an NZAC accredited supervisor. All counsellors who are members of the national body (NZAC) are required to have on-going professional supervision. This is where a counsellor will meet with another professional and discuss their work, to ensure they are practicing safely. These supervision discussions are protected by confidentiality also.
What will happen at my first appointment?
When you first contact EDEN, you will be invited to a meeting with EDEN’s Support Services Coordinator. Please see ‘How to do I make an appointment’ for more information about the Support Services meeting.
In your first counselling session at EDEN, how much you share is up to you. Some people like to have thought about what they want to talk about before arriving. Others prefer for the counsellor to ask questions during the session that might help them to tell the story of their experiences.
During this meeting, the counsellor will talk with you about the way that she works, EDEN’s Health and Safety policy and some other housekeeping matters. You can also expect to discuss some of the hopes that you hold about what might come out of counselling for you.
What if I am worried about a friend or family member?
Witnessing a loved one struggle with an eating difficulty can be very painful. Part of the Counselling Services that EDEN provides includes supporting care-givers, family members, partners and friends of a person living with an eating difficulty.
If you hold some concerns about someone close to you, make sure that they are seeing their G.P. and/or another appropriate health professional.
How much will it cost?
EDEN is a not-for-profit organization that receives no Government funding. A one-hour counselling sesison at EDEN costs $100.00. This rate is reduced to $65.00 if you have a current Community Services Card.
Your choice
We will do our best to match you with one of our counsellors at EDEN, but if for any reason you feel you would like to see someone else at EDEN, please discuss this with your counsellor or contact the Support Services Coordinator on (09) 631-7570 ext.3.
More information
If you would like more information or have any further queries about EDEN’s Counselling Service, please contact EDEN.
