The impacts of HD on the individuals, carers, partners and/or family members are often a lot for someone to manage on their own.
Counselling can be helpful at a number of stages across the lifetime of living with HD, ranging from additional support prior to or through predictive testing, issues around grief and loss; living with gene negative outcomes; planning a future or figuring out new or different ways of living with HD. These sessions can be for a single person, a couple, a family, with friends or a combination of some or all of these. The sessions are your time and focus on what you want to work on.
There are also many benefits of working with a qualified and trusted counsellor that include:
Confidential
Counselling provides a confidential and safe space where you can share your concerns
Independent trusted support
You have access to an independent person who is there to help you work towards improving your current situation
Capacity Building
With the right support, through this process you may learn new skills or build upon existing strengths to deal with different situations, and even identify your own triggers and response patterns
How to access this support?
If you think you would benefit from accessing counselling support please speak to your GP about making a referral to a counsellor nearby to where you live.
Alternatively, you can access counselling support from HV’s office in Hawthorn. JoAnne Bevilacqua has been working with HD families since 2004 and offers sessions on Monday and Fridays, from morning to evening. Please contact Huntington’s Victoria if you want to chat about whether this might be helpful for you or please contact JoAnne directly.
JoAnne Bevilacqua
Counsellor and Family Therapist
Monday and Friday’s
16 Wakefield Street
Hawthorn 3122
Ph 0401994157
Email: JoAnne.Bevilacqua@mh.org.au