How Can Counselling Help?
We all experience times in our lives when the stresses and strains are difficult to deal with. These may include change, loss, discrimination, loneliness, relationship difficulties, redundancy, bullying, harassment – and many other situations. We may just want to be able to change our lives and need support in doing that. Counselling can provide the space and support to help us get in touch with our own inner resources and also to find the healing we may need for emotional and psychological hurts we have suffered.
At Ubuntu, we recognise that people are all different and may need different counselling approaches. Our multicultural model uses a Humanistic Integrative approach, combining a number of counselling methods and acknowledging the importance of a systemic perspective. Where we think that another service may be better placed to help a client with their needs, we will work to support clients to access that service. Where there may be cultural issues that get in the way, we will work with the client and the service concerned to try to overcome these.
If it helps to talk to us before making a referral, then please do so. We accept referrals from any source, including self-referral.
Dr Faith Stafford
Director of Counselling Services
At UBUNTU Counselling Services (UCS) we try to respond swiftly to all referrals respecting, understanding and representing different backgrounds by:
- Taking care to reassure clients about safeguarding and confidentiality
- Being aware of the gross and subtle effects of Culture i.e. “Culture Shock” on a person’s mental and emotional distress.
- By being aware of the differences between the Culture of “I” and the Culture of “WE” which underpins the spirit of “UBUNTU”
- Understanding external social pressures that clients from BME communities can suffer especially living in the South west of England.
- Recruiting staff and volunteers from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds to create a familiar and welcoming background for clients and to provide appropriate role models
- Offering a real understanding and a commitment to learning about people’s differing cultures and sharing the learning with others
- Acknowledging the impact of migration, racism, isolation on clients’ emotional well-being
- Recognising that some of our clients will not respond well to a completely non- directive method and so providing, where appropriate, a more structured approach to the counselling, with psycho-educational input, information sharing and signposting
- Recognising that emotional distress is often tied up with practical problems and therefore make use of a programme of support via the Exeter Communities Together Project
- The spirit of UBUNTU views the client in an holistic way: mind, body and spirit; and acknowledges that they are part of a collective community.
We offer:
- One to One counselling
- Group Counselling
- Group work
- Relationship counselling
- Family Counselling/Therapy
- Cross cultural relationship Counselling
- Social support or signposting to social support