Learn about juno’s circle

You are eligible to access counselling if you or someone close to you has experienced sexual abuse under the age of 18 (regardless of whether you are now an adult).  We define sexual assault broadly as any behaviour of a sexual nature that makes you feel scared or uncomfortable.  We support anyone regardless of their biological sex, gender identity, culture, race, religion, or the outcome of any criminal police investigation or court proceeding.  This includes men who were sexually assaulted as boys and also applies to children who were targeted with sexually abusive behaviour by other children.  A police statement is not necessary to access support.  We also accept referrals for young people undertaking Therapeutic Treatment Orders for sexually abusive behaviours.

We do not take referrals for children if there are current Family Law Court proceedings or if there are concerns about current Family Violence.

While our teleconference facilities allow us to accept referrals from across Australia and worldwide, we prioritise referrals for our counselling service for those people with a connection to the Ballarat local area.  This is out of respect for those affected by the significant historical institutional abuse that has occurred here in previous decades.  You can read about how the public-funded Ballarat Centre Against Sexual Assault responded to an influx of disclosures following the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry Into the Handling of Child Sexual Abuse in Religious and other Non-Government Organisations here.

Self-referrals are welcome however we also accept referrals from child protection, schools, community agencies, or police.  Referral forms are succinct and completed through our website.  Their purpose is to provide Juno’s Circle with a snapshot of your current situation and which service you are requesting.  We are unable to accept referrals from individuals or organisations who have not completed this online form. 

The first Intake session is an opportunity to be introduced to your counsellor, hear about the services provided and the limits of confidentiality, ask any questions you might have, and to gauge whether you would like to continue.  You are under no obligation to proceed with accessing our service and are encouraged to use this opportunity to decide if Juno’s Circle is the right fit for you.  An online referral form must be completed to proceed to this stage.  If you wish to continue, you will initially be offered up to 6 sessions of 1 hour duration over a 6-10 week period.  If the counselling is for a child then the non-offending parents or caregivers will be invited to participate in the first 2-4 sessions of 90 minutes duration without the child present, followed by up to 4 individual sessions with the child.  The first session with parents/caregivers or adults in the Assessment Phase will only be available via Telehealth or telephone, however all other future sessions are offered face-to-face if preferred.   

This initial stage of contact allows both the counsellor and family to form a shared understanding of the presenting problem and how it came to dominate the person’s life.  It also provides an opportunity to determine if Juno’s Circle is the most appropriate service at this point in time. 

The second phase of counselling involves exploring ways to tackle the problem and how to lessen its grip on the person’s life.  This involves scheduling regular 1 hour sessions every 1-3 weeks.  Telehealth, telephone and face-to-face sessions are available to everyone during this phase, however face-to-face sessions are preferred when working with children.

There is no limit to how many sessions can be accessed however a review will take place after 15 sessions to ensure sessions remain useful and relevant.

Information about counselling, consulting and training fees is available here.

At this stage Juno’s Circle does not offer Medicare rebates to clients and the full payment is required before a session commences.  We acknowledge that many victim/survivors do in fact suffer from Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) however are quite protective of their privacy.  In order to qualify for Medicare rebates on counselling sessions in Australia it is necessary for a person’s health record to officially reflect their mental illness diagnosis.  Not only does this require a person’s cooperation in being asked a series of set questions (usually by a GP, psychiatrist or clinical psychologist) about current mental health status, it also means they agree that any mental illness diagnosis be permanently recorded on file.

In our experience we have found that victim/survivors who have endured childhood sexual assault often do not disclose the abuse until well into adulthood.  It takes a tremendous amount of courage to disclose sexual abuse and we believe in supporting people to disclose when they are ready and to whom they feel comfortable in doing so.  Whilst we strongly promote the importance of close professional relationships with healthcare providers, we also recognise that for many people this might not be reflective of their relationship with their regular GP.  We do not wish for this to act as a barrier to accessing counselling.  It is important to keep in mind however that Juno’s Circle is not a crisis mental health service and that people who present with moderate to severe mental illness will be referred to the appropriate services for support.

Both Juno’s Circle and prospective clients are under no obligation to proceed with service engagement until both parties agree, following the conclusion of the intake consultation and where electronic signatures of the client/s are obtained, indicating full understanding and consent to engage in counselling or psychoeducation support.  Acceptance into a stream of the Counselling Service involves undertaking a thorough assessment to determine the individual needs and goals of the client and their family (if applicable).  Treatment recommendations will be provided following the completion of the Assessment Phase, including determining if Juno’s Circle is the most appropriate service to provide treatment.  Accepting a client for the Treatment Phase is at the discretion of Juno’s Circle and will take into consideration factors including risk (to self and others, and risk from others), additional support needs that go beyond the scope of service, and willingness of the client to engage in therapy.

Sessions are booked by clients online and fully paid for in advance.  It is possible to schedule multiple appointments in advance at any one time (to guarantee availability of a particular timeslot).  In the event that a client is unable to attend a session, Juno’s Circle requires 24 hours’ cancellation notice in order to transfer the credit to another booking, otherwise the client will forfeit their prepaid session fee.

Juno’s Circle will issue refunds on prepaid sessions if the client indicates they no longer wish to continue counselling (no reason is required).