P4: Report

Why is it important to be able to make referrals- It is important to be able to make referrals because it helps the client recover. Counselling sessions are created in order to assist the client with support and a person who listens to the client. If the sessions that are organised, not working out and nothing is changing in the client’s life then the counsellor would make referrals. These referrals would be according to the client’s situation and their satisfaction.
Reasons why referrals maybe needed? - Reasons why counsellors refer their clients are because they cannot do anything about their situation or the client may need a referral. For example the counsellor may lack specific skills that they need in order to assist the client. Another reason could be if the client needs a specialist like a psychologist due to mental health problem. Sometimes a session becomes a difficult trial for the counsellor if they have similar experience as them. It would make it hard for them to complete the session as they wouldn’t feel comfortable. Another reason could be that no progression being made. Cultural barriers could also be another reason as the client and counsellor would have views that are in contrast. If the client is not being open to the counsellor, then the counsellor would find it hard to help, as they wouldn’t gain enough information. Another reason could be if the client is self -harming themselves, as this is a serious issue and therefore should be taken into consideration. Another reason could be the client may not like or get along with the counsellor due to their personality. This could be a barrier to communication. The client sometimes may not find the counsellor useful and therefore would stop the sessions. Counsellor could face some barriers and that would cause the counsellor not to help the client in an effective way. Sometimes additional support is needed like a therapist. Another reason could be if the counsellor and client know each other already. The sessions would not be fair as there could be biased opinions between them both. In some cases counsellor could be abusive and therefore this could make the situation worse for the client and they could suffer from being afraid to attend the sessions. It is not usual but some counsellor may offend the client in different ways, like cultural, gender or race. The client may not gain any benefit if the counsellor is not providing effective service. If the client doesn’t see any improvements, they may leave.
Who referrals may be made to- there are various support systems that referrals are made to. It is the counsellor’s responsibility to refer the client to the right support system, as this depends on the client’s situation. The counsellor may advise the client on service users as Women’s Refuge which is an organisation especially for women with any issues in their life. This organisation is there to support the client throughout their situation. Referrals could also be made to family members, as they are the most likely closest people to the client and would feel comfortable with them. If family members show their support to the client then this would lead to the client gaining some confidence in them and may be this could create some sort of courage for their own self in order to tackle the situations. If the client is a student, they could be referred to talk to their teachers. They are seen as people who know their student well enough as they teach them. Therefore the client would feel comfortable talking to them. Additionally, the student who is the client could also get a mentor who would guide the student on how to keep their self organised and how to deal with their current situation. Furthermore, if the client’s situation is severe then they could be referred to victim support, rape crises, cruise bereavement care and other related support like a psychologist.
How many carers/families are involved in supporting the client? - If the family is supportive, they would try and help the client and get other people involved in order to help the client. By doing this, it will make the client aware of how much the family members care and they want to support the client. Other people who care for the client would gather other family members or friends as much as possible in order for the client to overcome the situation as soon as possible. This would be helpful for the client because it would show them that there are people that care about them and are there to support them.
Availability and accessibility of other organisations? - It is sometimes hard to refer the clients to other support systems due to various reasons. One of the main is that clients are put on waiting list in order to refer them. The referrals that a counsellor makes could be beneficial for the client and therefore would meet the user’s needs. However there is also a high chance of the client not receiving satisfactory service from the suggested referral. They could be better or even worse than the counselling sessions. The referrals could potentially be expensive and therefore clients may not prefer it and rather wait. The service that is offered to the client may not be flexible and therefore the timings and schedules may not fit in. it could be too time consuming, meaning a lot of time would be required for the client in order to receive the service. This would therefore hard to access the service. Another reason could be if the counselling sessions are organised far away from the client’s house, which could cause difficulties for the client to travel. Counselling sessions are quite long and take time for an outcome. Therefore the client could be impatient sometimes and may think that this is time consuming and this is not for them. On the other hand the client may not contribute with the process. This would cause barriers for the client to receive full service.