Spokz People Disability Counselling
Profile
Spokz People C.I.C. provide support services for people with physical disabilities, their partners and health professionals.
We provide face-to-face, online and telephone counselling, support groups, confidence training and relationship, sex and intimacy support through our free online forum and helpline.
Having a disability or being the partner of someone with a disability does not automatically mean you need counselling. However, we have noticed that there is a lack of physically accessible counselling services and Spokz People aims to provide a counselling service which does not exclude people with disabilities. We aim to be flexible to your needs so that you can decide how often to have sessions, for how long, and whether by phone or email.
Everybody in society is subject to stereotypes and prejudices about disability and counsellors are not excluded from this. Our experience of disability enables us to provide an accessible service where clients with a disability, as well as their friends, partners, family members and enablers can work through any issues, whether associated to disability or not.
We are a non-profit social enterprise, a community interest company (C.I.C.): some of our services are self-funded, where others are free or subsidised.
Please contact us if or visit our website for much more information.
Training, Qualifications & Experience
Mèlani Halacre, Director Spokz People
Mèlani is an integrative counsellor (University of Leicester) and lecturer (PGCE for FE and HE). She is qualified to practice online counselling (training with OCST) alongside face-to-face and telephone counselling. Other qualifications include a BA in Communication and certificates in psychology and mediation skills.
Mèlani has experience and knowledge of physical disability and works with issues such as anger, anxiety, bereavement, loss, cultural issues, oppression/discrimination, depression or low mood, general counselling, relationships and self-esteem. She also runs training and workshops and facilitates support groups. She is a full member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP membership number 619792) and adheres to their ethical framework. She has professional Indemnity Insurance with Holistic Insurance (Member HIS20190) and a current CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) Enhanced Disclosure check.
Depending on client need, we also have a directory (www.spokzpeople.org.uk/directory.asp) of counsellors we work with in other locations who have disability knowledge and experience.
Areas of counselling we deal with
- Affairs and Betrayals
- Anger Management
- Anxiety
- Bereavement
- Bullying
- Cancer
- Career Counselling
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME
- Couples Counselling
- Debt Management
- Depression
- Disabilities
- Domestic Violence
- Family Issues
- Generalised Anxiety
- Low Self-Confidence
- Low Self-Esteem
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Postnatal Depression
- Pre-nuptial Counselling
- Relationship Issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder
- Self Harm
- Separation and Divorce
- Sexual Issues
- Spirituality
- Stress
- Trauma
- Work Related Issues
Other areas of counselling we deal with
Though we have specified many areas of counselling, our main speciality is disability.
Disability can impact on many facets of your life: your housing situation, finances, relationships, sex, fertility, work or career, lifestyle and family life. Daily living can be frustrating when society does not accommodate for your needs. Often you are surrounded by non-disabled people so there is less support, fewer role-models and it is easy to feel excluded and different. You may feel anger, frustration, resentment, sadness, guilt, loss, fear, anxiety and loneliness or have depression, low mood or low self-esteem. It is entirely normal to feel these things, but if you feel stuck and want things to change, this is when counselling may be beneficial.
If you have just acquired a disability, this can be a scary time as your whole world has been turned upside down and everything is uncertain. Most people struggle with major changes, but what can be particularly hard about disability is that besides the impact of the physical impairment on your body functioning, body image, thoughts, emotions and behaviours, it also impacts on other aspects of your life. Everybody has to find new roles and new ways of relating: you, your partner, children, parents, friends and colleagues.
Therapies Offered
- Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies - Cognitive Therapy
- Psychoanalytical and Psychodynamic - Psychodynamic Therapy
- Humanistic Therapies - Person-Centred Counselling
- Other Therapies - Integrative
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Fees
How are costs established?
Free chat about counselling
You are more than welcome to ring free of charge for an informal chat to see if any of our services are suitable for you and to answer any questions you may have.
£15 first session including assessment
The first session which includes an initial assessment is offered at a reduced rate of £15.00 to give you the opportunity to assess whether counselling is right for you. After that costs depend on the type of counselling you choose.
Face-to-face (in person) counselling
- 1 session of 50 minutes: £35
- Pre-paid package of 5 sessions (paid ahead in one payment): £165 (£33 per session)
Instant messaging or telephone counselling
- 1 session of 50 minutes: £30
- Pre-paid package of 5 sessions (paid ahead in one payment): £140 (£28 per session)
Email counselling
- 1 Email of at least 500 words: £30
- Pre-paid package of 5 emails (paid ahead in one payment): £140 (£28 per email)
You may have a query after you have read a therapeutic email and counsellors will reply briefly to such queries at no additional charge.
Are there reduced fees for those on a low income?
Please do not be put off by the cost, if you think our services could help you, please contact us to discuss what is possible. We operate a sliding scale for fees dependent on your income. We also have 2 slots specifically for those on a very low income (e.g. receiving benefits or on an income of £12.000 or less). These slots are £15.00 per session. Please contact us if you would like to be considered for these slots.
Further Information
We support the social model of disability which looks both at a person's impairment and all the relevant factors that affect their ability to be a full and equal participant in society. We recognise that many problems faced by people with disabilities do not result from their impairments, but by the fact that society is predominantly set-up for non-disabled people.
Spokz People was set up after we discovered that many people with disabilities would prefer and would benefit from therapists who have a disability or specialise in disability. We are breaking the mould by not only providing physically accessible services, but our knowledge and experience of disability means we understand the possible issues relating to disability and are flexible in catering for different needs.
- Online, email or telephone counselling available