About Counselling Online
Counselling Online, developed by Turning Point, aims to improve community access to drug treatment and referral services, particularly in rural and regional areas. The service offers online text-based counselling to alcohol and other drug users, and others affected by alcohol and drug use in the community, including family members, relatives and friends.
The site also includes a Self-Help program, which aims to help individuals identify how motivated they feel, help set goals, identify what’s important, and help develop a plan to address aspects of their life that have been affected by their drinking or drug use
Free self-assessments are also available, aiming to help individuals determine if their alcohol or drug is at an unsafe or risky level and recommending next steps based on these test results. The website features online peer to peer forums where individuals can connect with others who are also choosing to make a change to their alcohol or drug abuse.
Counselling Online also provides information, support and referral for drug users, family members and others. This includes learning how to look for signs of a problem, how to further understand addiction, how to start the conversation and how to access support. As well as offering family and peer support programmes in both public and private sessions.
The site also includes a Self Help program, which aims to help individuals identify how motivated they feel, help set goals, identify what’s important, and help develop a plan to address aspects of their life that have been affected by their drinking or drug use.
To discover more about the services offered by Counselling Online, head to their website here.
Who is Counselling Online for?
Counselling Online is for people using alcohol and other drugs, their family members and friends. This includes people who are seeking support for their drug addiction for the first time, currently receiving treatment, those in recovery already, people managing a relapse as well as those who want to support others and share their experience.
What are the benefits of using Counselling Online?
Counselling Online is a great tool to begin to address addictions of drug or alcohol abuse. There are many benefits to using a counselling service including:
- Increasing motivation to quit an addiction
- Changing self-destructive behaviours
- Preventing relapse
- Creating more meaningful relationships
- Improved self-esteem and confidence
- Understanding and identifying the behaviours and motivations of the addiction
- Becoming more equipped with coping skills and mechanisms to address the addiction
Who runs Counselling Online?
Counselling Online is run by qualified counselling staff with extensive experience in alcohol and drug counselling as well as treatment. This includes psychologists, social workers, and counsellors from a variety of different disciplines.
Is there a cost to use Counselling Online?
There is no cost to using Counselling Online.
How to access Counselling Online’s services
Anyone across Australia can contact Counselling Online via:
- Text-based counselling, available 24/7
- For 24/7 Telephone support call:
- ACT 02 6207 9977
- NSW 1800 422 599 (regional) or 02 9361 8000 (metropolitan)
- NT 1800 131 350
- QLD 1800 177 833 (regional) or 07 3837 5989 (metropolitan)
- SA 1300 131 340
- TAS 1800 811 994
- VIC 1800 888 236
- WA 1800 198 024 (regional) or 08 9442 5000 (metropolitan)
Alternatively, to start making a change and access their self-help modules, head to their website here.
Registration is mandatory for the self-help modules. With text-based counselling, users can choose to be anonymous or to register in order to allow counsellors to access information from previous sessions and offer continuity in counselling.
When can Counselling Online be accessed?
As Counselling Online program is digital, it is available anytime and anywhere that suits you. Telephone consultations are also available at any time. To learn more, head to the contact us page here.
