Youth Counselling Services

Overview

If you are in a crisis and need immediate support, please refer to our external helplines.

We offer free support services for young people who have a connection to the City of Kingston.

  • All services are confidential, without the need for a mental health care plan
  • We need parental/guardian consent for anyone under the age of 16 before they can begin receiving services 
  • The counsellor and young person will establish goals and determine the most suitable approach.

Support provided is best and most effective in partnership with families and schools:

  • We connect young people to others around them and the community in which they identify with
  • We're committed to protecting and ensuring the rights of young people.

The following services are not provided as part of delivering counselling:

  • Assessments
  • Formal Clinical Diagnoses
  • Letters testifying to the psychological state of a client. Kingston Youth Services can only provide letters of attendance.
  • Afterhours support.

We're committed to providing a service that:

  • Provides ongoing support where needed
  • Create meaningful opportunities for participation
  • Foster independence and prepare young people for their future
  • Acknowledge that young people come with their own aspirations.

How do I access Counselling?

To access counselling, you can self-refer or have a parent/guardian or school refer on your behalf.

Complete all forms for a member of our Youth Team to contact you:

  • Referral and consent form  
  • Client permission form.

Please note, if young person is under 16 years of age, we require the consent and permission of the parent / guardian.

Client criteria

Counselling and Youth Work Support

  • We work with young people aged 12-25 who live, work or study in the City of Kingston
  • We are committed to providing a service that:
  • provides ongoing support where needed
  • creates meaningful opportunities for participation
  • fosters independence and prepare young people for their future
  • acknowledges that young people come with their own aspirations.
  • We work in partnership, where relevant with families, communities, schools and other agencies to ensure the best and most effective support is provided.
  • We connect young people to others around them and the community with which they identify.
  • We are committed to protect, facilitate and advocate for the rights of young people.

Who we work with

  • Tier 1: as per Safe Minds System of Carer Map (Victoria). First place young people turn to for help – provide first line response
  • Severity: intermittent pattern of distress in specific settings
  • Complexity: intermittent emotional distress in response to one or more life events or settings (e.g. family breakdown, issues with work/education, bullying, relationship issues, experimenting with risk taking behaviours, developing coping strategies)
  • Impact: some impact to functioning but managing well
  • Risk of harm: fleeting thoughts of self-harm or aggression. Experimentation with illicit drugs or alcohol.
  • Risk factors: none to a few significant risk factors that sometimes negatively influence functioning / cause emotional distress

Referral and consent form

Click here to view form.

Client permission form

Use the form below to provide details of the service providers that you are giving permission for Youth Services to liaise with in relation to your / your child's case.

Click here to view form.

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