As a young carer, sometimes you might face challenging situations like:
If this sounds like you or someone you know, that’s ok, read on to see how you can get help!
What is counselling?
Seeing a counsellor is a chance for you to talk to someone about your life as a young carer and how this makes you feel. It will also give you the opportunity to work out some ideas for dealing with any challenging situations. Whatever you say to the counsellor will remain private, unless you share something that shows that your own safety is at risk. It might feel a little weird in the beginning to share your feelings with a stranger, that’s totally understandable! However, you don’t need to worry, the counsellor will have experience working with young people and will have an understanding of the issues that young carers face.
What types of counselling are available?
Carer Counselling is now provided through Carer Gateway by calling 1800 422 737 or visiting www.carergateway.gov.au.
What are the benefits of counselling for young carers?
You might find that talking to someone who doesn’t know you or your family can help a lot.
Every young carer is an individual, but some of the benefits of counselling for young carers include:
How much will it cost?
The Carer Gateway Counselling Service is a free service for carers.
Sounds great! How can I organise counselling?
You can arrange counselling sessions for yourself or give consent for someone else to make a referral on your behalf.
For yourself:
Otherwise, call the Young Carer Team on (02) 9280 4744 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) to have a chat about your options.
– Young carer, age 17, cares for her brother who has autism.
– Young carer, age 18, cares for her mum who has a degenerative disease of the spine.
– Young carer, age 13, cares for a sibling who is terminally ill.