FAQ

Young, old, LGBTQIA+, culturally diverse, parenting or child-free, living with a disability, and any variation a human could be. Everyone is welcome here.  

There is no limit to the reasons you could seek counselling. Perhaps you have been thinking 'I wish I had someone to talk to about this.' 

Maybe you have people to talk to, but you don't want to tell them about...

You could just need to hash something out with someone - make sense of a jumble of thoughts. 

Maybe there has been something bothering you that you really should talk to someone about. 

Whatever it is, let me be the person to check in with. We can talk it out together. 

Monday 10am-8pm (Online only).

Thursday 10am-8pm (In-person at Loganholme or online). 

Saturday 8am-12pm (Every three weeks, online only).

In-home appointments may be accommodated on a case-by-case basis.  

Online Counselling:

As long as you have a private and uninterrupted space, I am happy to host an online counselling session. I recommend investing in earphones to ensure your privacy. 

Therapy Room

I have a therapy room in Loganholme available for Thursday appointments only. The room accommodates up to three people and is appropriate for young people. Free parking is available on-site. Address is provided upon booking. 

In-Home

In-home counselling can be done on a case-by-case basis following safety and confidentiality discussions. These would be offered to those living in Logan City and surrounds (up to 30-minute drive from Logan Central). Request in-home counselling via phone or email. 

In-Community

A park, nature walk, quiet cafe, or perhaps a community center with meeting rooms available. This may be a preferred option to an online appointment if you cannot make an appointment on days Teghan has access to a therapy room. Community locations would need to be within a 30-minute drive from Logan Central. Request in-community counselling via phone or email. 

Pricing information can be found under the services tab. Pricing falls within the current average hourly rate of a counsellor within Queensland. I do my best to keep prices to a minimum.

Pricing includes covering the counselling session, therapy room hire, admin hours pre-session (organizing the counselling agreement, time and place, setting up a client profile, invoicing) and the record keeping post-session. 

Yes! I currently have a Health Provider Number for BUPA (J002559) and AHRG* (AC17631T).

*AHRG includes: Police Health Fund, Emergency Services Health, Phoenix Health, St Lukes Health, GMHBA, CUA Health (telehealth only), Teachers Union Health, AIA and Westfund.

Health fund members will need to submit their claims directly to their health funds. 

I would send you a counselling and confidentiality agreement to read over and sign. This would outline when and why information would be shared, how I keep any records and personal information, pricing and payment information, cancellation policy, and complaints procedures. It will also include a request for your emergency contact and contact information. We will have a discussion (via email or phone) regarding what location is best for you, and your session will be confirmed once payment has been received. I will send a reminder via text or email 48 hours prior to our session. Then we will meet!

I understand coming to therapy can be scary! Even if it's not your first time. Let me take some guess-work out of it. We won't just jump into problem talk. I will tell you a bit about myself, the counselling process and what to expect. I will also explore your past experiences of therapy and what you need from me as your therapist.  

From there, I will meet you where you are at. During the first session I generally try to get an understanding of why you have booked in and what you want out of therapy (goals & hopes). 

Towards the end of the session will be a little wrap up where I check in with you, maybe identify a plan to walk away with or an idea to explore further next time. I will invite you to let me know if anything could have been done differently to make the session more helpful, and leave it up to you whether you want to book in again. 

On occasion, I like to use letters as a way to record information and give you something to think about between sessions. So, you may receive a letter via email that summarizes our session (if safe to do so). 

Not necessarily. In fact, it can be harmful to force yourself to tell traumatic stories when you are not ready to. 

The good thing about trauma work is you can just focus on the sensations & feelings associated with the trauma. For example, working on the anxiety or worthlessness feeling rather than the event itself. 

It's also important to build skills in emotional regulation, identifying emotions, re-connecting to bodily sensations, and maintaining a relaxed muscle body before discussing the "trauma tale." So, even if you want to share your memories, it won't necessarily happen in the first couple of sessions. 

See the "My Approach" tab to find out more about how I work with trauma. 

Sex Therapy involves therapeutic discussion of intimacy and sex related issues. 

This is purely talk-therapy and psychoeducation relating to sexual issues. You will not be asked to perform sexual acts, nor will any sexual acts be demonstrated for you. 

For more information about Sex Therapy, visit the "My Approach" tab. 

Yes and no. The core difference is we will aim to develop a shared understanding. When it comes to goal setting, instead of individual goals the aim will be to create a shared goal. Everyone will get a chance to share their point of view. A shared understanding of the problem you want to work on together will then be established. For families, a longer session may be best to ensure there is enough time for everyone to speak. 

Honest Conversations uses the ACA Code of Ethics regarding counselling practice, including confidentiality obligations. This can be found here:  Code of Ethics and Practice (theaca.net.au) 

In short, if I am worried about your safety or the safety of someone else, I would tell you honestly about my concerns. This discussion would include whether I need to pass on any information to police, your doctor, Child Safety, your emergency contact, or any other relevant party. I place priority on consent - if we could come up with a plan to share information together, that would be best. 

I will discuss my counselling sessions with my Clinical Supervisor, to ensure I am providing the best practice to you. However, any information shared with my supervisor is also bound by confidentiality. 

In the unlikely event that I receive a subpoena for my counselling records, I will contact you and discuss the request. There may be times where I can object to a subpoena, but there is no guarantee. 

Do you find it easier to talk while drawing or painting? Is there a support person you would like to bring with you? Do you want to wrap yourself up in a weighted blanket you bring from home? Do you have a beloved pet you want to cuddle as we chat? Go ahead! No judgement here. Give me a heads up so I can accommodate your needs!

No! First of all, relationship therapy can be for any type of relationship - romantic or friendship. Second, I aim to provide a safe space for all, including but not limited to people within the LGBTQIA+ community, or persons in polyamorous or other non-monogamous relationships. 

When it comes to children, I have a lot of experience working with 6 to 12 year olds, and have worked with older teenagers as well. Those younger than 6 may benefit more from someone experienced with younger children but are still welcome to attend as part of family therapy. I will note here that children under the age of 15 would be more likely to benefit from Family Therapy, and those 15 and older may benefit from a mix of family and individual therapy. 

The beauty of being adaptable with my location is that we can trial going to a park as long as children are old enough to independently play. Babies or very young children (under 2) can accompany you to therapy if needed. However, I would hesitate to allow any children older than this to sit with us unless it is part of family therapy, as children are absolute sponges when it comes to taking in information!

This happens. And it's ok! I will leave it up to you. If you wave, I will wave. If you stop for a quick chat, I will too. And if you pretend you haven't seen me, I will walk on by without a fuss. My only boundaries are that we respect each other's private lives and leave therapy for inside the therapy session. If we are dealing with our child tantruming in public or are obviously having a special moment with a loved one, let's just smile and walk on by without judgement. 

It would be breaking the Australian Counselling Association Code of Ethics to share your stories or the details of our sessions online. The majority of the information I share comes from what I learn during Professional Development or Supervision. I may notice that a certain topic is relevant across multiple clients. That may inspire a generalized post on the topic, with nothing specific tied to any of the clients I spoke with. If you have any further questions about this, feel free to reach out. 

Unfortunately, the Better Access Initiative is currently for Psychologists, Psychiatrists, or Social Workers with Mental Health accreditation. Counsellors are not eligible for registration. Therefore, I am unable to provide free or gap fee sessions via a Mental Health Care Plan. 

Unfortunately, I am not currently registered as a NDIS provider. 

Honest Conversations uses the ACA Code of Ethics regarding counselling practice, including confidentiality obligations. This can be found here:  Code of Ethics and Practice (theaca.net.au) 

In short, the answer is: If there is no risk of harm to your child or others, then I cannot share what was discussed with anyone without the young person's consent - including with their parent or guardian. 

If you want your child to feel comfortable to talk freely in therapy, it is important that consent and confidentiality is honored. 

There is no set answer to this question. Often, we cannot tell how many appointments are needed, as it can be surprising what comes up in the course of therapy.  Some people need one session and find that is enough. Others can find regular ongoing therapy appointments helpful. It can be surprising to some people that the more complex issues, such as trauma, can require ongoing therapeutic support for six months, a year, sometimes longer!  It is important to remember that change and progress is non-linear, and things can crop up in the future that makes us think: "I thought I worked through that!!" Be kind to yourself on your therapeutic journey.