What is the Stirling Support Program?
The Stirling Support Program provides free, short term counselling and referral for City of Stirling residents in need.
The program is delivered by graduate counsellors and psychologists who are fully qualified and volunteer their time to the program. The service is available at Vision Counselling and Psychology in the Stirling Leisure Centre, Scarborough.
This program is a community partnership and is jointly funded by Vision Counselling and Psychology and the City of Stirling.
Who is eligible for the Program?
Stirling residents who are low income earners or pensioners. These residents must be entitled to a health care card and unable to access services easily elsewhere. Residents must be one of the following –
- Pensioners
- Job Seekers (Stream 1)
- Disability Support Pensioners
To find out if you are eligible please call our Support Team on 1300-1-VISION
How can the Stirling Support Program help?
The program can help with issues and problems including but not limited to:
- Relationship and family issues
- Communication skills
- Conflict resolution
- Anger managements
- Stress
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Panic
- Trauma
- Substance use
- Coping with change
- Coping with unemployment
- Grief and bereavement
- Finding the right service for you
How do I arrange an appointment?
- Call the Vision support team on – 1300-1-VISION / 1300 184 746
- Request a Stirling Support appointment
- Provide your details
- Book an appointment time
Project Information
The Stirling Support Program delivers counselling services to City of Stirling residents who are unable to or having difficulty accessing counselling services privately or are ineligible to access funding for services through their community service providers. They may be low income earners, pensioners or in great need of counselling services due to a crisis situation.
The program is delivered by members of the Vision Counselling and Psychology Support Team who have graduated as qualified counsellors or psychologists.
Psychologists are registered with the Australia Psychological Society and Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. Counsellors are registered with either the Australia Counselling Association or the Psychotherapists and Counsellors Association of Western Australia. All counsellors must also be listed on the Australian Register of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (ARCAP).
All therapists are fully supervised according to their member association requirements and partake in Vision’s Group and Peer Supervision.
The program is delivered at the Vision Counselling and Psychology head office in the Stirling Leisure Centre, Building 2, Suites 1-2, 173 Gildercliffe St, Scarborough WA 6019 for a 1/2 day per week.
Project Background
Over the past 5 years Vision Counselling and Psychology has observed that there are a number of Stirling residents who are unable to access mental health services or family support services quickly and easily as they do not have the funds to pay for private practice consultation fees or must join long waiting lists to access community mental health service providers. This is our target group for the Stirling Support Program.
In March 2013 Vision Counselling and Psychology enlisted volunteer counselling and psychology students as part of our Support Team at our Scarborough office. So far we have watched 3 of our Support Team members graduate into qualified therapists who have required work experience.
Our view for this program is to connect the Stirling residents in need of therapeutic services with the therapists who have the skills, creating a volunteer counselling program.
Project Objectives
- To deliver counselling services to Stirling residents who are unable to access services elsewhere as they are unable to afford private practice fees.
- To connect Stirling residents with appropriate mental health service providers, whilst the program provides short term support in the interim.
- For new graduate counsellors and psychologists to gain valuable work experience in a supported therapeutic role.
- To use the City of Stirling facilities to support Stirling residents by encouraging the community centre (our head office) to be utilised as such with an open door policy.
- We aim to deliver around 200 appointments for free within the first 12 months of the program.
Benefits of the Project
Stirling residents will be able to access counselling quickly if they are in crisis and will be supported whilst appropriate referral for long term supports are put in place with the assistance of our practice. New graduate therapists will have an opportunity to utilise and develop their counselling skills and make a contribution to the local community.
Project Funding
This initiative is currently funded by Vision Counselling and Psychology and the City of Stirling.
Accessing the Program
The service is free for low income earners or people in crisis who are unable to access therapeutic services elsewhere such as their connected community service provider.
Clients may be asked to show their Health Care Card.
City of Stirling residents can refer themselves for counselling.
To arrange an appointment, please telephone our Support Team and let them know that you would like to access the Stirling Support Program –
Telephone: 1300 184 746
