Terms & conditions

Counselling Corner is operating in Singapore, Myanmar and Thailand and is registered in Singapore under the name Right-minded People Pte. Ltd. and in Myanmar under the name Counselling Corner Psychotherapy & Counselling services Co. Ltd. Counselling Corner is privately owned by shareholders who believe in working sustainably for people and the planet.

These terms and conditions apply to all individual counselling services provided including couple, family and group counselling therapy. On other services such as training, workshops and webinars, research projects and advocacy other terms and conditions might apply.

Counselling Corner therapists are trained in a variety of techniques that can help you better cope with mental illness, resolve personal issues and to create positive personal change in your life. These techniques can include client-centred therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy or psycho-dynamic therapy, any or our services, or would like to talk with a counsellor, you’re welcome to make an appointment for an initial session. You’ll have the opportunity to discuss your issues in this 50 minutes session, after which time our counsellor will work on creating a plan for you to work on in the coming weeks. Usually we recommend one session a week (50 minutes each), aiming to achieve a positive results within 10 sessions. These sessions are yours and at any time you can decide to stop, take a break or even request for another counsellor; it’s your time and your effort that will lead to success.

Code of ethics and practice
Counselling Corner founder Aung Min Thein graduated at Sydney Western University and he is a member of the Australian Counselling Association. Therefore Counselling Corner always uses the Australian code of ethics and practice which can be found online.

Fees, Sponsorship / discounts and CRS
Counselling Corner offers discounts on a sliding scale for individuals and organisations who may be in need of financial assistance. As a socially involved organisation, we want to actively support the communities we are part of and we do contribute to the mental wellbeing and development of these communities as well as the mental health profession in SE Asia. Please let us know in case you want to apply for sponsorships or discounts. Fees are charged depending on the country of services provided (if it’s online then the location of the client is considered the country of service provided).

Payments
Payments should be made within 14 days of the invoice date or in cash on the day of service. A reminder will be sent if the payment has not been received in time with the request to pay within 7 days. Should a second reminder be necessary, there will be an additional fee of 10 Usd for every week of delayed payment to cover for the administration costs

Cancelling and/or changing appointments
Once you have booked an appointment, we reserve that time for you. For appointment cancellations and/or changes, please contact our reception (09-784509916) at least 24 hours before the appointment.
We understand that sometimes you need to change the date for a session. Please inform us minimum 24 hours in advance so we can give the allotted time slot to somebody else and we don’t need to charge the fees for the last minute cancelled session. In case you cancel or change an appointment too late, we will have to charge 100% cancellation fees.

How to make an appointment?
If you are ready to start working on improving your mental health, together with one of our experienced counsellors, then it’s time to call us to make an appointment:
For Myanmar clients: 09-784 509 916 or use Facebook messenger (www.facebook.com/counsellingcornermyanmar) or email: admin@counsellingcornermyanmar.com. For clients in Singapore or elsewhere use WhatsApp: +65 942 205 14 or email: singapore@counsellingcorner.org
We are open daily from 08:30 am – 05:30 pm for sessions through Zoom or face to face. When making an appointment we will briefly ask you what the issue is and then ask you to fill in a “client intake form”. The face to face sessions are at our counselling centre at Bogalay Zay Street or at on an office location in Singapore.

Process and agreement of therapy
We offer an initial meeting through Zoom or in a face to face session for 50 minutes with you. This is to discuss the services you require from us and to make you understand in detail the benefits of the therapy. The counsellor will then discuss with you a plan to move forward through weekly sessions of 50 minutes. On average we aim to achieve a noticeable improvement within 10 sessions.

The frequency and duration of your therapy depends on your needs and what you are working on. Due to the uniqueness of each individual, we are unable to predict or guarantee a specific outcome or result.

Your therapist ensures that the sessions can start at the agreed time. If you arrive late, please keep in mind that the time will be deducted from the reserved time. In the rare case our therapist is late we will go on longer with the session to ensure you get the full time as a normal sessions.

At any time, if you feel that you are finished with therapy, please let us know. It’s best to plan for termination and exchange feedback before stopping.

Your therapist has the right to terminate the therapy, but is obliged to inform you of the reasons. Recording (audio / video) is not permitted unless this is part of the work process and then only when both client and therapist agree.

Contact
To protect confidentiality and in line with the Australian code of ethics it is not possible to give a client the phone number or other contact details of his / her counsellor. Please always contact our reception through phone 09-784 509 916 or use Facebook messenger (www.facebook.com/counsellingcornermyanmar) or email: admin@counsellingcornermyanmar.com.

ONLY in case of emergency outside office hours you may call to our emergency phone: +95-99756837498. In the event of a true emergency please always call the national emergency number ambulance, police or fire brigade or go directly to the nearest emergency room.

Confidentiality
A therapist is required to keep information discussed during therapy private. We practice confidentiality according to Australian Counselling Association (ACA)’s “Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct” and the counsellor must:
1) Communicate the concept of confidentiality with their clients on an ongoing basis and do so in a culturally sensitive way.
2) Inform clients about the limitations of confidentiality regarding what situations information must be disclosed (e.g., to protect clients or others from harm).
3) Keep client’s personal information in a private vault and not on a cloud for privacy concerns.

Is the therapist right for you?
A big part of successful therapy is feeling comfortable with your therapist, which may come over time. However, if after a few meetings, you’re just not clicking, you do have the choice to seek out another therapist. To determine if you’re receiving the best care from your therapist, we recommend asking yourself the following questions:

• Does the therapist guide you to your goals?
• Does the therapist show acceptance and compassion?
• Does the therapist challenge you?
• Does the therapist check-in with you?
• Does the therapist help you learn?
• Does the therapist treat you as an equal?

If your answer to any of these questions is “No,” then it’s likely time to consider changing therapists. At the end of your session, just tell your therapist that you will not be returning. Don’t be surprised if your therapist asks why. You can answer honestly (you just feel like you’re not clicking) or just say that you prefer not to say. In most cases, your therapist will be professional and can recommend another therapist who will be a better fit.

In case you feel you’re not moving forward
If you are dissatisfied for any reason, please feel free to discuss this with your therapist. If you remain dissatisfied or you prefer to have the conversation with another person, please contact Aung Min Thein, Managing Director at Counselling Corner so he can look for a suitable solution for you.

Find your own path again
Counselling is based on talking and listening with the aim to get to a situation where a client feels he / she sees “a light at the end of the tunnel” and can move forward on his / her own feet again. Counselling is not about getting an advice from a therapist and telling you what to do. Instead it’s about listening to yourself and understanding what you need to work on in order to get a positive result. Most of the benefit comes from being able to express yourself in your own terms, so you gain a better understanding of yourself, in a non-judgmental setting. A counsellor can only help a client in “self-understanding” as the answer to solve a problem has to come from within the client.