Sexuality Counselling and Education for Disability
When it comes to relationships, sexual health, and sexuality, people tend to shy away from having important conversations. However, research shows that providing education around sexuality and relationships can support decision-making and significantly reduce the chances of abuse for people with a disability.
People living with a disability should talk about sex and relationships in a safe space, to understand when and how to have the right conversations, and overcome any unique challenges they may face.
The NDIS has the ability to fund sexuality counselling and education, when it is considered reasonable and necessary in order for a participant to meet the goals set out in their plan, and are usually claimed under capacity building budgets.
At Ark, we provide one-on-one sexuality counselling for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities in Perth. These sessions are provided in an inclusive setting to increase understanding about relationships, consent and sexual wellbeing.
You can download a PDF of our Discovery Flyer to view and / or share among your networks.
Why is sexuality counselling and education important?
It is so important to ensure that individuals with a disability, whether intellectual or developmental, have access to age-appropriate, medically accurate and inclusive sexuality education in a safe learning space. This is because it addresses rights, safety and overall wellbeing, through supporting informed choices, as well as helping to understand and set personal boundaries.
Through specialised, face-to-face sexuality counselling and education for people living with a disability, our team is able to address real-life challenges, develop support plans specific to each individual, and devise both proactive and preventative strategies where relevant. Provided in a one-on-one setting, Discovery Sexuality Counselling and Education explores topics such as:
Understanding who you are as a person – interests, likes/dislikes, communication style
How to be in different kinds of relationships (friendships, employer/employee, intimate)
How to start a relationship, how to stay in one and how to decide what is ok in relationships
How to communicate with others
Sexuality and sexual health
Sexual parts
What can go wrong in a sexual and romantic relationship? And how to make things go right (consent, safe expression, legal issues)
In addition to talking, we will do role-plays, play games, and activities to engage participants and reinforce learning about sexual health and relationships.
Our sexuality counselling sessions
Our team of qualified and experienced social workers collaborate with individuals to tailor the topics to their areas of interest. From there, we’ll provide psychoeducation and counselling in an affirming, person-centered and safe environment. All counsellors have undergone specific training in sexuality education for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This ensures a safe and supportive environment for learning about consent, relationships and sexual wellbeing.
Sexuality counselling sessions are delivered by our counselling team on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, between 9am and 5pm. We will work with you to organise days and times for sessions and will do our best to accommodate your needs.
The sessions are held at Ark Support Coordination’s head office in East Victoria Park. There are Discovery sessions available online, but we may also be able to accommodate certain situations and visit you within your community.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re wanting to know more about how the program and its sessions are delivered, take a look at the answers to some common questions about our NDIS sexuality counselling below.
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Each session runs for 1-hour and is charged at $193.99 per hour.
Ark is a registered NDIS service provider and can claim for this service under Assessment, Recommendation, Therapy or Training - Social Work. This will come out of your Capacity Building Improved Daily Living budget.
There are also times when your counsellor may need to do some work outside of your session. For example, liaising with your support team and providing progress reports to sustain your access to sexuality counselling support in future NDIS plans. This will be discussed and agreed upon during the intake and service agreement process.
Clients who do not have NDIS plans can self-fund, contact us directly to discuss payment options. Please note that this service is not eligible for Medicare rebates.
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Yes, sexuality counselling can be accessed through an NDIS plan. However, it needs to be relevant to the plan itself, deemed to be reasonable and necessary, while also being linked directly to the disability-related goals set out in the plan
If you’re an NDIS participant, you can discuss your options with your support or specialist support coordinator.
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Suitability for this program is individuals aged 18 and over.
However, we do tailor the program to the unique needs of each individual. If you are interested on behalf of someone under the age of 18, please contact us at intake@arksc.org or call (08) 6373 7500 to discuss options.
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These sessions are designed for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities who want to learn more about relationships, consent, sexual health, and sexuality. NDIS participants may be able to use their funding to access these sessions as part of their plan.
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Because of the sometimes complex nature of the content covered in the Discovery program, we recommend fortnightly sessions across a 12-month period. However, the length of each counselling program is tailored to the needs of each participant.The frequency of sessions and duration of the program will be discussed during the referral and intake process, to establish a suitable schedule to meet the participant’s needs and align with the funding in their NDIS plan.
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Participants can choose to bring anyone they like to each session. The role of the support person is to provide support to the participant during the session in a way that is aligned with the values and approach of the program, empowering the individual participant and building their self-determination. Some participants may like to have a support person in every session, whereas other people may prefer to have a support person wait in our reception area so they are available to join if extra support is needed.
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To engage with the Discovery counselling program, you’ll need to speak with our intake team via phone call or email.
Please get in contact with us at intake@arksc.org or call 08 6373 7500 to make an enquiry, refer yourself/a participant, or ask us any questions.
Once you have been in touch, our intake team will discuss your/the participant’s needs and budget to determine the frequency of appointments and agree upon how many sessions you’d like to attend across your NDIS plan period. Once you are happy to go ahead, we will review our Service Agreement, Client Handbook and Terms and Conditions with you and make a booking for your first session with your counsellor.
During the initial session, your counsellor will ask you some questions to help us gauge what you/the participant knows about each topic. We will also discuss which topics you want to cover and structure the program and upcoming sessions accordingly.
If you’d like to have a support person/partner join you, please let us know. They will need to attend the first appointment where we will discuss their role in the sessions.
Have more questions?
To find out more about any of our NDIS services, get in touch to speak with a team member by calling us on (08) 6373 7500 or fill out the form.