The VAC/GMHC Counselling Services work to preserve the dignity, independence and health of people living with HIV/AIDS, to prevent the spread of HIV, as well as addressing a variety of issues relating to Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (GLBTI) communities, through counselling and education.

Is Counselling For You?

The VAC/GMHC Counselling Services are:

• At the forefront of working with GLBTI communities;
  

• Responsive to the needs and issues specific to the GLBTI community;
  

• Sensitive, experienced and aware of issues relating to the GLBTI community, allowing us to offer unique counselling to individuals and couples; and,
  

• A place that offers a safe space for individuals and couples from the GLBTI community which is inclusive of partners, family and friends.

You May Want to Talk About:

• A new or recent HIV diagnosis;
  

• Living with HIV/AIDS;
  

• HIV/AIDS and relationships;
  

• When a friend, family member or partner is HIV+;
  

• Same-sex domestic violence issues;
  

• Depression;
  

• Anxiety;
  

• Relationship differences via couples therapy;
  

• Coming out;
  

• Self-esteem;
  

• Drug and alcohol issues;
  

• Loss and grief;
  

• Emotional, physical and/or sexual abuse;
  

• Safe sex information; and,
  

• And many other issues.

Who Are We?

The VAC/GMHC Counselling Services offer individual counselling, couples therapy, and therapeutic groups.

All of our counsellors are professionally trained in a range of disciplines, including psychology, social work, counselling, couples therapy, and psychotherapy.

We are staffed by 3 paid employees, and complemented by a team of dedicated volunteer professional counsellors and interns.

Our Internship program provides the opportunity for final year students from an academic institute to work as a trainee counsellor within a supportive environment.

Participating in various forms of service delivery, we also have graduate and postgraduate students in Social Work, Psychology, and Welfare Studies who are nearing the end of their training.

All members of our team receive on-going supervision, to ensure that you get the highest standard of care.

For more information about working with VAC/GMHC Counselling Services, please click on the link below.

Volunteer Counsellors, Internship Program and Student Placement Opportunities

What About My Privacy?

At the VAC/GMHC Counselling Services, your privacy and confidentiality is taken very seriously.

All information provided by you is stored in locked files, and cannot be released to anyone outside the organisation without your written permission.

The VAC/GMHC Counselling Services comply with the Commonwealth Privacy Act (1988) and the Victorian Health Records Act (2002) which cover the collection, storage, use, and disclosure of your personal information.

For more information about the VAC/GMHC Counselling Services Privacy Policy, please click on the link below.

VAC/GMHC Counselling Services Privacy Policy Summary

Where Are We located?

We are situated at the Peter Knight Centre, 6 Claremont Street, South Yarra.

How Much Does Counselling Cost?

The first session is an assessment and is free. Subsequent counselling sessions are calculated according to a sliding fee scale. Low-income earners are charged at a lower rate and Healthcare card holders are charged a minimum of $5, which will be discussed at assessment or in-take.

How Do I Make an Appointment to See a Counsellor?

1. The first step to seeing a counsellor is to speak with a Duty Worker, between 2pm and 4pm, Monday to Friday.

• Please telepone us on (03) 9865 6700 (or free-call 1800 1800 134 840 for country callers).
  

• The Duty Worker will ask you to provide some demographic details, and give a brief description of your current problem, which is the in-take process.
  

• The Duty Worker will then make an appointment time for an assessment where you will meet with a counsellor one-on-one.

2. The second step is to attend the assessment appointment, which takes about 50 to 60 minutes.

• This assessment is free and involves us getting an idea of what is going on for you, by obtaining some background information.
  

• You will be asked to commit to the same time each week for on-going counselling, and we will ask you about the times that suit you.

3. The final step is the allocation process, where we allocate you to a counsellor.

• This happens once a week at the weekly Allocations Meeting.
  

• Your assessment counsellor will tell you when the next Allocations Meeting is scheduled, and you can expect to hear from us that day, or within that week.
  

• Sometimes we refer people to another agency if we believe that agency will be able to provide a better service.

Appointments for counselling are available week-days:

Monday to Thursday, 9.00am – 8.00pm; and,

Fridays, 9.00am – 4.00pm.

For more information about the discount safe-sex supplies that the VAC/GMHC sells, please click on the link below.

Safe-Sex Products