Counselling
Need to talk?
Talk to your college counsellor
There is one counsellor at Havering College: Enrica Balestra. The counsellor is based at Ardleigh Green on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and at Quarles on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The counsellor is here to support any student who is experiencing personal difficulties regardless of class, culture, race, religious beliefs, sexuality and disability. The counsellor is professionally qualified and experienced and works to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy Ethical Framework for Good Practice. This safeguards the confidentiality of the counselling service and ensures that the highest professional standards are maintained.
What is counselling?
Counselling entails you coming to one or a number of sessions during which you can talk about anything at all that is troubling you. Studying, producing work and meeting deadlines can be stressful and also bring other problems to a head. Equally, if something worrying or upsetting is going on in your life, it can be difficult to get the best out of your studies. Your counsellor will listen carefully and try to help you make sense of your particular situation. Because your counsellor is not part of your usual support network, she is in a position to be objective about your difficulties, as well as be supportive of you. The counsellor won't give advice, make judgments or tell you what to do, although she may offer coping strategies, tips and resources to help you through particularly sticky times.
Issues that counsellors work with frequently include:
• Difficulties coping with college work
• Relationship problems
• Eating disorders
• Anxiety about relationships/sexual orientation
• Depression, thoughts of self-harm/suicide
• Family problems
• A sense of isolation
• The death of someone close
• Panic attacks
• Sexual/physical/emotional abuse
• Worries about alcohol/drug abuse
Confidentiality
The counsellor will not give any information about you, or anything you have talked about to anyone else unless you ask her to do so. Confidentiality would only be broken in extreme circumstances where you or another person may be in immediate danger, or when required by law. In this rare circumstance, the counsellor would try to talk to you before making a disclosure, although this may not be possible in case of an emergency.
The counselling service gathers statistical information for the College and may log the counselling hours you have received in the form of additional support with the Learning Support Manager. This information is used to improve and monitor the service, as well as to improve funding. When such information is collected and exchanged it is anonymised and will only be disclosed for auditing purposes.
Making an appointment
Appointments can be made directly with the counsellor by phoning the college number: 01708 455011 (followed by the appropriate extension number) or by emailing her. You can also go to the Student Services reception, speak to your tutor or to one of the youth development workers and ask to be referred to the student counsellor. Alternatively you can stop by to see the counsellor during one of the weekly drop-in sessions. Waiting times for appointments vary but the counsellor will try to see you as soon as possible.
FOR MORE INFORMATION LOOK AT THE COUNSELLING PAGES ON BLACKBOARD (IN THE STUDENT SERVICES FOLDER).
Contact
Enrica Balestra
Ardleigh Green, Room A111- Ext. 2035
Quarles, Room QS216 - Ext. 4043
Email: EBalestra@havering-college.ac.uk
Availability
Ardleigh Green:
Tuesday 9-2 (Drop in 9.30-10) Wednesday 10-3 (Drop in 1-2)
Quarles:
Thursday:9-2 (Drop in 9.30-10) Friday 9-2 (Drop in 12-1)