FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHO DO YOU SERVE?
Our services are available to all regardless of religious faith, ethnicity, and race. All of our staff are professionally trained, and especially skilled in their ability to be sensitive to religious, gender, cultural, racial and other issues. As a family service agency, our services are available to anyone who needs them and can use them.

At the time of initial contact, our staff will help you determine if our services are appropriate to meet your needs. If we are not the right place, our staff will provide you with information about relevant services in the community.

CAN I ASK YOU TO CONTACT A FRIEND OR A FAMILY IN NEED OF HELP?
The person who needs service has to contact us directly to make an appointment with a social worker or to register for a course. We accept self referrals. You may feel free to encourage them to contact us.

HOW LONG DOES COUNSELLING TAKE?
There is no easy way to tell in advance. It depends on the problems, how deeply rooted they are, how willing a person, couple or family is to work on them and what the goals are. Our counsellors mainly concentrate on the problems people face in their current situations. They assist you in assessing your situation and in setting up specific achievable goals. The focus is on helping you to achieve solutions to your current problems.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW COUNSELLING WORKS?
It is important to develop a clear understanding of what professional counselling is and how it works.

Counselllng is a two way process between you and your counsellor. The counsellor will help you to consider your situation realistically, help you identify the central problems and assist you to develop positive, achievable goals for you to work on. The counsellor helps you to gain a full understanding of your circumstances and the ways to find solutions for your problems.

It is important to freely participate and be open in the sessions. You will be encouraged to commit to following through with the ideas and approaches you develop during the sessions. Your counsellor will not offer you standard solutions. We believe that the solutions that will work for you must come from your own thoughts, feelings and actions.

In marriage or family counselling, a counsellor does not take sides with one or the other in a marriage or a family. Your counsellor will not be a judge - deciding who is right or wrong. The goal is to help develop a constructive dialogue so that people can address difficulties and work out positive solutions that will be mutually satisfying and strengthen the marital or family relationships.

DO YOU CHARGE A FEE?
Yes, our fees for counselling are based on a sliding scale that takes into account the cost of service and family income. Your fee will be set with your social worker at your first interview. If your financial situation changes during service, the fee can be reviewed and adjusted to reflect your ability to pay.

Our funding from ShareLife and income from client fees enable us to provide low cost or free services to those who are unable to pay fees due to their personal circumstances. Everyone receives the same high quality service regardless of their fee status.

ARE YOUR SERVICES CONFIDENTIAL?
All information given by you will be treated confidentially. However, exceptions may occur in situations of child abuse, or where there is a threat to yourself or the safety of others. We will inform you of this circumstance if this situation occurs.

DO YOU ACCEPT DONATIONS?
Yes. The Catholic Family Services of Toronto Foundation has been established to accept donations from the community. Gifts are used to subsidize services to clients who pay little or no fees because of their personal circumstances. Our Foundation is a registered charitable association. Donations are gratefully received and will be acknowledged with a tax receipt.