What is online counselling?
Centre 33’s online counselling service is video- based one-to-one support that you can access through a web browser on a computer, mobile phone or tablet.
You may want to have counselling to help you but find the thought of sitting in a room with a practitioner feels a bit daunting. Or perhaps you’re finding that practical things are stopping you having face-to-face support, like finding time to make an appointment or transport issues that can make it hard for you to come to one of our hubs.
We understand that taking the first steps to talking with someone can be extremely difficult, and that’s where online counselling comes in, offering you more options. We believe in giving you a choice about what kind of support you receive, in your own time and on your own terms.
With online support, you will have weekly sessions by video and each session will be 50 minutes long. You’ll get the same support that you would in our face-to-face services.
How does it work?
Getting started
Once you have chosen to have counselling support from Centre 33, we will contact you (via phone call) to discuss your availability and book an initial counselling session. You will then receive an automated text message with a one-time password for our online support website. This will allow you to log in to the website and set your own password for your personal account. Once you have logged in, you will be able to see your details of your booked session and any messages from us.
Meeting your counsellor
You will meet your counsellor online during the first counselling session. They will want to get to know you a bit better – and it gives you a chance to get to know them as well. They will also talk with you about setting some goals for your support. To read a bit more about this, please look at our Counselling agreement which tells you about what to expect, including how many online sessions you will have and what happens if you can’t make a session.
If you have any questions, your counsellor will be happy to go through these with you.
Rearranging sessions
If you can’t make a session or you would like to change your session time, please contact us, 24 hours in advance if possible:
Trouble getting online or using this website?
If you’re having technical issues when you’re due a session, please contact us using the details above.
If we’re having technical issues when you’re due a session, we’ll contact you by mobile or email, using the details you have given us.
Your privacy and confidentiality
If you are going to talk with someone, whether online or face-to-face, one of the most important things you’ll probably want to know is whether what you say will be kept private and confidential.
At Centre 33, all our services are confidential. We will not discuss you with anyone outside of Centre 33 without your permission, unless it’s to get more support for you, or we believe you or someone else may not be safe. We would then contact other services that could help. We would always try and let you know we are doing this and get your agreement for doing so. For further information, please look at our privacy notice.
Your counsellor may discuss their work anonymously with their supervisor, who makes sure they are working effectively (in line with BACP Guidelines). Your counsellor may also speak with their manager if they’re concerned about your or someone else’s safety, or if they want to find out more about other support options for you. We’ll always let you know if we feel we do need to speak with a colleague.
You can read our full privacy notice here.
What do you do with my information?
Your counsellor uses the information we have about you to help them support you.
We keep your information safe on our secure web-based management system which has limited access for appropriate staff only. In line with legal guidelines, we will keep your records for 6 years unless a particular contract or legal framework requires us to keep it for longer.
Within Centre 33, your information may be shared on a need-to-know basis. For example, counsellors may discuss you with colleagues if it is necessary to work collaboratively to support you.
We don’t share your information outside of Centre 33, unless:
- we believe you or someone else may not be safe and we would then contact other services that could help – we will always try and get your permission first
- we needed to work with another organisation to get you other support – we will ask your permission to do this
- you ask us to share it with someone
- we use your information anonymously for reports to our funders, assessors or auditors. This will not include any information that could identify you individually
- in very rare circumstances, we may be legally required to do so under UK Law (such as becoming aware of a terrorism threat or a lawful request relating to court proceedings).
If you or someone else is at risk
Any decisions to share information about you (if you or someone else may be at risk) will take your circumstances into account, including who else knows what’s happening and if they are keeping you (or another person) safe and what other support you may already have. If we do have concerns and need to act, then we:
- will always try to talk to you about this first and to involve you in the decision, as much as we can
- may talk the decision through with a manager at Centre 33 before sharing information further, to make sure we are acting in the best interests of everyone involved
- will only share the information needed to make sure everyone involved is kept safe and only do so with relevant services
- will update you with the outcomes of any information sharing.
You can read our full privacy notice here.
Your information
Can I see my information?
You have the right to see personal information held about you by Centre 33. This is often called a Subject Access Request (or SAR). It covers information stored physically and digitally, and includes information you have given us, our notes and any letters about you. If you make an SAR, we might ask you to prove your identity to ensure your information is kept safe.
If you'd like to request access to the information we have about you:
We aim to give you the information you requested within a month.
Can I have my information deleted?
If you are using our services and would like to have your personal information removed, we can do this for you, although in many cases, we may not be able to support you anymore if we need your personal information for that to happen. We will tell you if this is likely to be the case. Talk to your counsellor about this, in the first instance.
Can I delete my online profile?
If you would like your profile and the information stored on this online platform deleted, we can do this for you. It’s important for you to know that there is no way to recover this profile once it is deleted. It is also important to know that we will still have to keep your information that we hold on our secure web-based management system (see section on ‘What do you do with my information’ above).
If you would like your online profile to be deleted:
Is working online secure?
We will always make sure any information we collect about you is stored securely and safely in both the online support website and our web-based management system. However, it is worth thinking about what equipment you are using to access the website. Sometimes public PCs, in places such as libraries, schools or colleges, have monitoring software installed that might mean they’re not fully confidential. You can speak to the owner of the equipment to check this or contact us via your own device.
You can use the "Exit" button to leave the page you are on at any time, you will be redirected to google.com
It’s important to make sure you’re the only person with the password to your online account. For tips on making a secure password, we recommend having a look here.
I need help now!
We don’t provide a 24-hour service, but if you’re here and feeling you’re in crisis, there are people you can talk to. Find someone to talk to now.
Feedback and complaints
Feedback is very important to us and we want to hear about your experience of using our services, whether it’s good or bad. To give feedback you can:
- talk to your counsellor or ask to speak with another member of our team
- navigate to About this service - Helpdesk to use the feedback form
- phone us on 0333 414 1809
- email us at hello@centre33.org.uk
- send us a WhatsApp/SMS to 07514 783745.
All of Centre 33’s counsellors follow the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Ethical Framework and Guidelines to ensure that you get a professional and quality service.
