Victims of Crime Psychological Support Service.

Following a traumatic event, therapy is crucial, and finding the right space and time to guide you through the process is just as important. If you have been a victim of crime, the days and weeks after the event can be a bit of a blur, and, at Boutique Psychology, we understand that. We don’t want to rush your recovery, but we are also here to help you navigate the process. 

​

Our psychologists are supervised and trained by Dr Alex West, who has an extensive career in response to traumatic events.

We bring care and compassion to clients of all ages who are impacted by trauma, grief, shock and associated symptoms that can occur after a crime.

Moving through the criminal justice process can be overwhelming, and when you add trauma and stress to that, it can really take its toll, but we are here to help by providing therapeutic support and care for individuals impacted by crime. 

​

How do I book an appointment?

You can either contact us directly to book, or ask your lawyers to forward your details to us and we will get in touch with you. 

Predictability and consistency is important to maintain after a traumatic event, and we bring that to our practice by ensuring our admin team book your first appointment with the clinician at a time and day that works best for you.

They will then book the following four appointments at times and days that suit you so you are aware of all the forthcoming appointments which we hope will reduce the anxiety of asking for help.

​

What happens at my first appointment?

At your first appointment, your clinician will ask you to sign a form regarding counselling services.

It looks like this APPLICATION FOR ASSISTANCE (vocat.vic.gov.au). 

 

We will ask you a series of questions including asking you to outline the alleged act of violence, the impact of the incident, including current symptoms, and details regarding your mental health prior to the incident.

Reliving the incident can be hard, but unfortunately necessary for the Victims of Crime process, so we will find strategies together to help you navigate this. 

​

You will also be asked for material considered in relation to the event, like police statements or reports, so please bring those along on the day or email them to us before or after your appointment. 

This information helps to give us a greater understanding of you and of the impact of the incident and to obtain the information that the Victims of Crime Assistance tribunal request regarding your mental health and wellbeing. 

We will work with you at your pace to talk through what has happened and how best to help you begin the road to recovery, while also ensuring you understand the process of Victims of Crime. 

​

During your appointment, your clinician will help you to develop an understanding of the impact of the crime, and we will complete reports and applications for funding based on research based, clinically effective, treatment plans.

​

What do I need to bring with me?

Please bring any reports, statements or information you have. You can email this beforehand or even after your first appointment, but it’s important that we have it. 
 
The Application for Counselling form must be filled out in order to apply for Victims of Crime support in covering the cost of the sessions, and we will work through that together.

​

The Application for Counselling form details your consent and agreement to the
proposed treatment plan set out in our report and needs to be signed and dated by both of us in order to proceed. 

You need to have agreed to the proposed treatment plan before signing the Application for Counselling form. 

​

What if I need to cancel/reschedule my appointment?
 

No worries. If you need to cancel your appointment please give us 48 hours’ notice via email, text or phone call to ensure that you don’t incur late fees.

​

After the appointment what happens in the background?

Your clinician will review the clinical information provided and develop a treatment plan. 

In order to ensure the best possible treatment for you, this plan will be overseen by our Clinical Director Dr Alex West or our Principal Psychologist Cindy Parsons. 

​

Your clinician will then fill in one of these reports
PD 1-2022 - Form 1 - Assessment report.doc (live.com) Or PD 1-2022 - Form 2 - Report 5+ hours counselling.doc (live.com).

 

Based on your mental health and wellbeing and research based best practise for intervention your clinician will complete the appropriate report for your psychological care.
 

This service is designed to provide the necessary care whilst following the process for Victims of Crime mental health support. 

 

We offer the service to individuals who are eligible for support via victims of crime. We are here to support you through this time using research-based, clinically effective treatment plans delivered by caring and compassionate experts. 

​

Contact us today for your first appointment or to find out more.