FAQs
Counselling FAQs
TIACS the home of blue collar counselling is a non for profit organisation providing professional, free mental health support Australia wide. TIACS has a mission to start conversations surrounding mental health among Australia’s blue-collar communities and provide accessible text/call counselling support.
Sure are.
TradeMutt is a social impact workwear brand, by tradies for tradies. They make funky eye-catching work wear designed to start conversations about mental health among the blue collar community, helping make an invisible issue impossible to ignore. Supporting TradeMutt enables them to fund TIACS, by donating 50% of their profits directly to us! So, TradeMutt is all about starting conversations and TIACS is all about continuing the conversation.
TIACS offers professional, free, confidential, and accessible counselling both over the phone and text to truckies, tradies, farmers, blue collar workers and their loved ones. TIACS removes the physical and financial barriers that prevent blue collar Australians from accessing the help they need and deserve. We offer up to 8 counselling sessions for blue collar people with the same counsellor.
Each client has individual needs but if more than 8 sessions are required it may mean that you need additional support from a different type of professional. If that’s the case, we will work with you to refer you to an appropriate service in your area.
At TIACS we won’t turn anyone away. We provide support of up to 2 counselling sessions where we provide information and resources and connect people to the right service they may need.
We operate between 8am to 10pm AEST Monday to Friday. We are closed on public holidays.
First you will hear/see an automated introduction and confidentiality statement. One of counsellors will respond via text/call. If our counsellors are all on calls then you will be invited to leave a voice message/text and we will respond as soon as possible.
The counsellor will undertake, what we call an intake process, where we spend some time getting to know you and what your initial needs are. Sometimes it’s hard to talk about things and that’s ok we’ll go at your pace. We’ll also need some basic information (name, post code, occupation) so we can check how many future sessions to provide and lastly, we’ll talk about how we protect your privacy and informed consent.
Once we’ve had the initial yarn with you, we will book your next appointment with your counsellor who will stay connected to you throughout your sessions. Before each of your appointments your counsellor will text you to confirm the booking.
Normally within a week or if we have cancellations, right there and then.
We understand that life is busy and things happen so you never need to feel guilty about cancelling. Either let us know when another session would best suit or get back to us again when you can.
Yes, text counselling works in the same way, we book you into an appointment time and we text you to start the session
Funding a free mental health support service can be costly and we cannot do it on our own. This is where our Alliance Partnership Program allows TIACS to be free and sustainable and meet the increasing demand for our service. TIACS receives funding from individuals and businesses in the industry. Their commitment and support is what allows us to be able to offer free counselling.
We are not funded by government. All our current funding is “by industry for industry”
All TIACS counsellors are appropriately qualified professionals and meet self-regulating industry standards (i.e ACA/PACFA). We pride ourselves in only recruiting people with the right fit and skills and we value and invest deeply in our team to ensure quality of care to them and our clients.
Give TIACS a call and we will assess your situation. If you are seeing more than one mental health professional it’s important, we understand the type of support you are receiving so our work is complimentary.
Alliance FAQs
Once your organisation has made the decision to jump onboard and support TIACS, the rest is pretty quick and easy. Make contact with our TIACS team and we can have you onboarded within a few weeks.
The biggest benefit your contribution makes is achieving greater impact in addressing mental health, in the blue collar industries. It also means we’re working together, collaboratively so our reach is wider as our networks connect right across Australia. Each of the Alliance tiers have individual benefits which we can share, all you have to do is fill in the Alliance enquiry form and we will get in touch.
Easy click here for making a donation or to learn more about the Alliance, fill in the Alliance enquiry form here.
Sure is, TIACS is a registered charity with DGR status so every $2 donated is tax deductible.
Go for it! One of the major benefits of being an Alliance Partner is the opportunity to promote this free service to those in your workplace and beyond. One of the major ways we will continue to get the message out there about TIACS is through our Alliance Partners.
Other FAQs
Informed consent is an agreement between you and TIACS. It’s important to understand what it involves so that you can make an informed decision about using our service.
Most organisations are required by law to follow good processes around privacy and confidentiality but sometimes the technical language gets in the way of understanding what it all means.
Generally, it means everyone understands their rights and the limits to privacy and confidentiality. It’s also about being transparent and honest about our service so that you are fully aware of what to expect.
In a nutshell this is how it looks
· When you first call or text, an intake counsellor will respond. They’ll have a chat with you to hear what’s on your mind. They’ll also ask for some basic details (like your name, year you were born, postcode).
· The Counsellor will explain what informed consent is about and you can choose to continue or not. No pressure from our end. We just want to make sure you are totally comfortable and understand how we keep your information safe and the times we might need to share.
· The Counsellor will also share a bit about TIACS, the role of the counsellor and how to provide feedback, if you would like to, at any stage (either during or after).
· It doesn’t take too long to go through the informed consent process. What’s most important is that you don’t feel rushed to tell your story. We’ll get to informed consent when it’s the right time and if it doesn’t happen in the first session your Counsellor can touch base in the next one.
· We will always work together with you and go at your pace. If at any point you change your mind, then that’s ok too.
· Your personal information will be kept private and confidential to TIACS and stored in a secure electronic file. You can request copies of your information at any time.
Ok, let’s just pause here for a minute and let you know when we might need to share your information with others. These are the only times we would share outside of TIACS:
1. If you tell us, you are planning to hurt yourself or someone else.
2. If there are any mandatory reporting requirements
3. If we receive a subpoena
If you would like any more details about INFORMED CONSENT, then don’t hesitate to chat to one of our Counsellors or leave a message or feedback at admin@tiacs.org and one of our epic staff will get back to you soon as possible.
