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Service Category: Mental Health & Counselling

Counselling Services

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Counselling Services

Support through life’s challenges

Ballarat Community Health offers quality and affordable counselling services to help individuals, couples, families, and groups work through a diverse range of life challenges. Whether you are experiencing a difficult life event, relationship concerns, stress, grief, mental health challenges or simply need someone to talk to, our counsellors provide a safe, confidential, and supportive environment to explore what is happening and identify ways forward over multiple disciplines.

What is counselling?

Counselling is a process of working through difficult life situations with a trained counsellor in a private and confidential space.

While counselling is often talk-based, counsellors may also use a range of activities and therapeutic approaches to support your goals and wellbeing. At BCH, our counsellors draw on an evidence-informed approach.

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
  • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
  • Narrative Therapy
  • Family Therapy
  • Group-based approaches

Our team includes professionals with different qualifications, experience, and areas of specialisation. This allows us to provide support that is tailored to individual needs and circumstances.

What can counselling help with?

  • Abuse and trauma
  • Anxiety and stress
  • Depression and low mood
  • Alcohol and other drug concerns
  • Grief, loss, and bereavement
  • Bullying
  • Career, employment, and unemployment challenges
  • Caring for someone experiencing physical health, mental health or alcohol and other drug issues
  • Caring for someone experiencing physical health, mental health or alcohol and other drug issues
  • Family violence
  • Health and wellbeing concerns
  • Identity, sexuality, and relationships
  • Infertility and pregnancy-related concerns
  • Loneliness and social isolation
  • Mental health challenges
  • Neurodiversity
  • Parenting and family concerns
  • Relationship difficulties
  • Multiple or complex issues
  • Other personal challenges and life circumstances

If you are unsure whether counselling is right for you, we encourage you to contact us to discuss your situation and identify the most appropriate support option.

What to expect

  • Individual counselling sessions vary in duration depending on the service, but most initial sessions will go for 50 minutes
  • Appointments are typically offered in person at one of our BCH locations. Phone or video appointments may also be available in some situations.
  • Your counsellor will work with you to understand your goals, strengths, and circumstances, and support you at a pace that feels right for you.

Finding the right service

BCH offers a range of counselling, mental health, alcohol and other drug, family violence, and wellbeing services. Depending on your needs, you may be connected with a specialised program or service area.

Contact

Phone (03) 5338 4500

or refer to the referral forms on the Counselling Services linked to this page.

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Family Violence Counselling

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Family Violence Counselling

If you need to leave this page quickly, select the Quick Exit button at any time. This will immediately redirect you away from the Ballarat Community Health website.

Self Referral Form

Self Referral Form

Need help now? If you are in immediate danger, call 000.

For immediate family violence support and advice contact The Orange Door on 1800 219 819 or 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

Ballarat Community Health is not a crisis centre.

If someone is using violence, control or intimidation in your relationship or family, support is available.

Ballarat Community Health provides free and confidential family violence counselling for people who have experienced family violence.

We offer a safe and supportive space where you can talk about what has happened, how it has affected you, and what support you may need.

Some people seek support while they are still in a relationship, while others reach out months or years after the violence has ended.

Family violence is not always physcial

It can include

  • Feeling controlled, monitored or isolated from family, friends or support networks
  • Being threatened, intimidated or made to feel afraid
  • Constant criticism, put downs or manipulation
  • Controlling money, employment or access to resource
  • Sexual violence or unwanted sexual activity
  • Monitoring phones, emails, social media or online activity
  • Using children, family members, services, cultural beliefs or systems to control someone

Family violence often involves patterns of behaviour that are used to gain power and control over another person.

How counselling can help

Family violence can have lasting impacts on health, wellbeing, confidence, relationships and everyday life.

  • Talk with someone who understands family violence
  • Make sense of your experiences
  • Explore the impacts of violence and abuse
  • Strengthen safety, wellbeing and support networks
  • Build confidence and move towards the future you want

Our counsellors work alongside you at your pace. You decide what you would like to discuss and what goals are important to you.

Who can access this service?

  • Specialist Family Violence Counselling is available to women living in the Central Highlands region who have experienced violence or abuse from a current or former intimate partner.
  • Women who have experienced family violence and also use violence themselves are welcome to access this service.
  • Men, non-binary people and people who have experienced other forms of family violence may be able to access support through our counselling services. Our team can discuss the most appropriate support option with you.

How much does it cost?

Most counselling services are free however some services will incur a fee depending on the type of counselling. All fees will be discussed with you prior to your first appointment.

Referrals

  • Self Referral – If you would like to access Family Violence Counselling, select the Self Referral button above or contact our team directly.
  • Professional Referral – Professionals can refer clients to the service using the Professional Referral form. Please include any relevant risk assessment information where appropriate.

Contact

Phone (03) 5338 4500

email to [email protected]

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Mental Health Services

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Mental Health Services

Ballarat Community Health provides a wide range of mental health programs and services, including professional and peer support. We recognise that much like our own physical health; our mental wellbeing is dynamic and changeable and its often confusing to navigate the system.

We endeavour to offer a ‘no wrong door’ approach to find the right fit for you. Engaging with our services could help enable you to live a more meaningful and abundant life. 

Mental Health Referral Form

Mental Health Referral

If it’s an emergency or you need urgent help call triple zero (000).

Mental Health Services

Contact

Phone (03) 5338 4500

For general enquiries please email

[email protected]

ReferralNet ID ballaratmh

For referrals please complete the form on this page

  • Head to Health

  • Connecting 2 Community

  • Forensic Mental Health

  • Service Navigation

    The Mental Health Service Navigation provides short term assistance in finding engagement with mental health support.

    Focus on improving your mental health, physical health and social needs
    Help you to connect socially/with the community
    provide information and support to carers and family members about local services and supports.
    The clinician works closely with local service providers which establishes coordinated referral pathways to allow for ease of access for consumers.

  • Peer Cadet Program

  • Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect

Group Programs

  • Peer Group

  • Arts and Wellbeing

  • Play Therapy

Other Programs

  • General Counselling Services

  • Family Violence Counselling

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