About Soma — FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens when you contact Soma Counselling?

For all inquiries, please send us an email at info@somacounselling.com. Please be aware that email is not a confidential medium and is to be used for booking purposes only.

Our office will call (email) you back to get more details so we can refer you to a Soma Counsellor.

 

What happens at our first session?

During your first session, you will meet with your counsellor who will guide you through our Intake and Informed Consent paperwork. These describe your rights as a client , our legal and ethical responsibilities as counsellors, and confirms your contact information. Following the paperwork, you will have a brief opportunity to begin discussing what has brought you to counselling and what your hopes and goals are throughout the counselling process. This will form the basis for your initial counselling session. Should you wish to continue with your counsellor, you will set an appointment time for your next session together.

 

What can I expect at a session?

A session is 50 minutes in length. Your counsellor will start by asking what is bringing you into counselling and then will listen carefully, occasionally clarifying what you say so that they may get a better sense of what has been going on for you.. It will go at your pace, based on how much information and/or feelings you are comfortable to share.

It is important to understand that a counsellor will not proceed with anything unless you are comfortable to continue You may stop the counselling session at any time. The one exception to this are the limits of confidentiality as defined below.

 

What is confidentiality?

Anything you talk about in a counselling session is kept in strict confidence unless you give written permission to share this information with specific people or organizations outside of the Soma Counselling Office.

There are a few exceptions:

  1. If you tell your counsellor that you are going to harm yourself or someone else, your counsellor is required by law to do anything that they can to reasonably prevent this from happening.
  2. Your counsellor is required by law to report any suspected or potential child abuse and/or neglect to the Ministry of Children and Family Development or to the Police.
  3. If a vulnerable adult is abused or neglected, a report may be filed with the appropriate governmental agency.
  4. A subpoena by a court of law requiring disclosure from the counsellor and/or counselling records.
  5. Your counsellor will also consult with a clinical supervisor or clinical colleagues from time to time regarding your case However, client names are never used and identifying information is changed to protect client confidentiality.

 

What are my responsibilities as a client?

Your main responsibilities in counselling are to attend your scheduled session, speak as openly and honestly as you can, and attempt to complete any “homework” your counsellor gives you. Most counsellors will suggest you to try a new approach(es) to dealing with issues. The process is enhanced and personal goals are achieved more quickly if you are willing to experiment and try different things. It is helpful to come back to your next session ready to discuss how those new approach(es) may or may not have worked.

Ultimately our goal at Soma is that you leave feeling like you have grown, learned and benefited from the counselling experience. It is also your responsibility to let us know as soon as possible if you cannot make your scheduled appointment.