About counselling
Welcome to Heart and Womb Birth Counselling. If you haven’t already, please head to learn more ABOUT ME and my therapeutic influences and approaches.
Benefits
There are many potential benefits to birth counselling and birth debriefing. It is my intention that you are able to experience an increased sense of resilience, greater self-compassion, a more regulated nervous system, a higher level of functional coping, new insights into self, overcoming limiting beliefs, improved communication in relationships, and symptomatic relief. Birth counselling is one aspect of birth preparation that can support you to have a more positive birth experience.
Birth counselling can also help you overcome specific problems arising on your journey. Birth debriefing is a beneficial tool for processing negative or traumatic birth experiences. Our sessions together can provide validation, insight, understanding and guidance for the future.
Risks
In achieving the above benefits, we must examine our past, present and future, which can be uncomfortable and challenging. The most important part our work together (for many clients) is resourcing. Resourcing is the process of building an internal sense of safety in which you feel you can examine or process challenging issues in a way that may be merely uncomfortable, rather than overwhelming. The more resourced you are (ie, resilient, self-compassionate, capable and regulated), the more you can grow and heal, but this process can take time.
Despite my strong focus on resourcing and safety, there is a chance that our work together may leave you feeling overwhelmed or with an increase in unwanted symptoms. I encourage you to contact me between sessions if you feel that you are not coping, so that we can structure some more support. In most instances I will be able to get back to you within 48 hours, unless I am on leave. If you require further or immediate assistance, please contact:
Lifeline (24/7) 13 11 14
PANDA (Perinatal) National Helpline (Monday to Saturday) 1300 726 306
Limitations
Apart from emergency situations as discussed above, I do not provide on-call support, phone, email or text counselling outside of our sessions. I do not provide intrapartum (ie, in labour) support.
I am not a primary maternity care provider. Birth counselling is a service that is complimentary to your chosen maternity care.
Birth experiences are multifactorial and participation in birth counselling does not guarantee that you will have a positive birth experience.
I concurrently practice as a Registered Midwife in the public health system. If you are receiving care at the health facility I am employed at, and there is a chance I may also provide care for you my capacity as a midwife, I will notify you at booking. If you choose not to proceed with counselling with me, I will try to find an appropriate referral for you.
I do not provide birth debriefing services to clients who have birthed at the health facility I am employed at as a Registered Midwife. If this applies to you, I will notify you at booking and try to find an appropriate referral for you.
Privacy and Confidentiality
Heart and Womb Birth Counselling is committed to maintaining your privacy and confidentiality at all times, and operates according to legislation and principles which protect the privacy of personal information. This means that information about your involvement with birth counselling or birth debriefing will not be released to another person or service without your permission.
Limits to confidentiality
If I deem it helpful or necessary to involve another service or your nominated emergency contact, I would discuss this with you first, and always aim to do so with your full and informed consent. However, If I have grave and serious concerns for your wellbeing, or the wellbeing of others, I have a legal, professional and ethical obligation to escalate to appropriate services and/or your nominated emergency contact. I would always try to do this in consultation with you, however I may act without your consent in this situation if required. This may include contacting emergency services.
Please also note that I am a mandatory reporter. This means that I am legally obliged to notify DCJ (Department of Communities and Justice) if I have reasonable grounds for suspecting that a child or person under the age of 18 years old has been subject to abuse or neglect, or is at risk of abuse or neglect.
I have an ethical and legal obligation to notify the Police if I have gained information regarding a crime.
Virtual counselling – I make every effort to ensure that our sessions are secure and completely private. Although unlikely, the nature of virtual counselling allows the possibility of cyber-hacking which may result in a breach of your confidentiality. By signing this document you acknowledge and accept the inherent risk in this format.
Progress Notes
I keep digital progress notes of each session and phone conversation. Progress notes are kept in a locked digital file and provide ongoing summary of issues discussed and the work we are doing together. You are welcome to review these notes, please notify me if you would like to do so.
If your notes are subpoenaed by a Court of Law, I may be legally required to share them.
To maintain professional integrity I participate in ongoing clinical supervision with an approved supervisor. In order to provide you with the best support for your needs, I may discuss details of your situation in a confidential context with my supervisor, and they also may take notes. All information that is shared with my supervisor is de-identified as much as possible.
Fees & Cancellations
Birth counselling sessions begin at the time of the scheduled appointment and run for 60 minutes. Birth debriefing sessions run for up to 2 hours.
Your first session requires a 50% deposit at time of booking, which is non-refundable within 48 hours of your session. The remaining 50% is payable on the day of your session.
Subsequent bookings do not require a deposit and are to be paid in full on the day of your session.
Rescheduling or cancelling your session requires 24 hours notice. If you cancel or reschedule within 24 hours, or do not attend your appointment, you will be charged your full session fee.
In rare circumstances I may need to reschedule your appointment due to illness or emergency. I will endeavour to give you as much notice as possible.
Please sign here to verify you have read and understood all of the above information.