Our approach

All paid staff within the organisation receive in-depth training in the Person-Centred Approach, which is the main therapeutic approach we use.  Many of our staff are also either qualified or qualifying counsellors.  Volunteers are an important part of our service and they undergo thorough training in our person-centred principles, as well as supervision and ongoing training and development throughout their time with us.

The key principles of the Person-Centred Approach are:

• We believe that people do the best they can, in the circumstances they are in, with the resources they have and that people are innately motivated towards growth.
• The worker supports the visitor/caller’s direction.  Our approach is non-directive – that is, we do not try to ‘fix’ or advise.  We work with our visitors and callers to identify their own solutions to their difficulties.
• We aspire to treat our visitors and callers and each other with warmth, kindness, compassion, and respect.

We also draw on other therapeutic approaches, such as Solution Focused Brief Therapy.  We provide a compassionate, respectful, empathic and consistent service, based on the principles outlined above.

Within both Dial House and Connect, we work with people in acute states of crisis.  Many of our visitors are suicidal and/or use self harm as a way of coping and we are skilled and experienced within these areas of work.  Throughout the time we have been open, we have successfully worked with people who have been excluded from or have been unable to engage with other services.

LSLCS takes its responsibility to safeguard children and adults at risk of abuse seriously.  The organisation has robust safeguarding policies and procedures and ensures all staff, paid and voluntary, are provided with supervision, support and training in the area of safeguarding.