No, you don’t. In fact most of the people who come to OTCC are expatriates who live in the Eastern Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa regions. You may make arrangements to spend two weeks or more with us for assessment and counseling. During this short-term intensive counseling period, by working together several times a week we can offer the same amount of counseling as would be accomplished in four to six months of traditional, once-a-week counseling.

Many people choose to see a professional counselor because something in life has become particularly distressing or problematic and the ways in which they have coped in the past are no longer working for them. This can include struggles with troubling thoughts, feelings, behaviors or relationships. Professional counselors provide assistance in processing the issues or stressors, working through the underlying issues that may be causing or contributing to the distress, help enhance problem solving skills and build resiliency. All our counselors operate from a Christian world view, with wide ranging areas of specialty. We have specialists who work with adults, adolescents, and children regarding the breadth of presenting issues. All our counselors are skilled in trauma work.

Read our post on “Deciding When to Call a Counselor”. When you click on this article, then go to the bottom of it on the left and right you can take arrows to other articles by staff. 

There are a range of individual and relational issues that counselors can help with. Individual problems may include uncomfortable, overwhelming, or difficult-to-control thoughts or feelings; unproductive behavioral habits that you have not been able to overcome; situations that leave you feeling stuck; traumatic experiences or major losses; overwhelming or persistent stressors; challenging transitions; questions about job fit; concerns about the future. Others seek counseling because family or work relationships are stressed and they feel stuck in finding ways to move forward. Some may come to enhance resiliency or prepare for marriage, a new job role, or an upcoming challenge.

Many people come to the center with a desire to look deeply at past ways of coping with troubling emotions, unhealthy ways of relating to others, or circumstances that seem beyond their control or ability to bear. Counselors help them find relief from problems, not in minor adjustments, but in transformative experiences with the therapist and others that create a new way of seeing self, others, and the world. Thus, life becomes richer and more satisfying as they relate differently to themselves and to others. Read our post on “Deciding When to Call a Counselor.”

Generally, the first session or two are set aside for the counselor to hear your story and for you to together set goals for what you would most like to accomplish during the counseling time. Counseling is generally 5 times a week for 2 hours for those coming from a distance to best maximize their time here. If couples or families come, concurrent sessions with different counselors for each family member wishing counseling can be arranged to maximize the services gained.

For those living locally, the more traditional one session a week will be the norm. Individual, couple, or family sessions may be utilized to best help to resolve the issues and their underlying causes as well as provide new areas of strength and understanding with which to move forward. There may be resources to read and/or exercises to do in between sessions to further benefit from the counseling process.

The amount of time spent in counseling depends on factors such as time constraints, severity of distress, how long problems have been present, personal traits and coping skills, and the presence or absence of other stressors in your life. It is not uncommon to come to OTCC for a period of one week to one month to receive assessment and counseling. After an initial intensive time of counseling, some may choose to return at agreed upon intervals for follow-up work with their counselor.

FAMILY ROOM

Our large family room is well set up for individuals and families during and in-between sessions. It is stocked with comfy couches and seating, a small desk, toys, books, and activities for children. In the winter months, if you need warm coats, there’s a community closet with adult winter gear to borrow.

CHILDCARE

We provide childcare on request for families visiting, and children will be in this room during your sessions. If your child is also receiving counseling, they will start in this room with the childcare provider, and then go back to the play therapy room down the hall during their sessions.

We are able to arrange for childcare when needed at our office, however this must be coordinated in advance. We require that all children under the age of 12 have adult supervision at all times during your time here for counseling. Some choose to bring a relative or friend with them to provide childcare, but if that’s not possible, we do offer childcare upon request.

The rate is 3,000 ft/ per hour for the first child and an additional 500 ft/ per hour for each additional child, paid by you directly to the babysitter at the end of each week. Our childcare providers are screened and trusted by us. The family room (pictured below), where your children can stay with the childcare provider, is just down the hall from the counseling rooms and equipped with toys, books, and activities for all ages. Please contact info@olivetreecounseling.org for more information.

KITCHENETTE AREA

There is a fridge and microwave available if you’d like to bring lunches with you to eat at the office during your breaks. We also provide coffee and tea throughout the day. When weather permits, we have a lovely terrace for outdoor picnic space, and small tables available indoors in the family room for your use.

WAITING LOUNGE

A separate waiting area is also available for quiet reading space.

LIBRARY

We have a curated library of current titles relating to missions, life overseas, and a variety of mental health related topics. You’re welcome to check books out during your stay here. If you’d like to peruse ahead of time, view our ONLINE CATALOG here.

Based on professional standards and ethics, all information shared with counselors at OTCC will be considered confidential with the exception of “duty to warn” and “mandated reporting” situations. The former pertains to situations in which a person is potentially dangerous to him/herself or others. The latter involves situations in which minor children are being and/or have been seriously abused. Apart from these exceptions, the privilege of releasing information remains with the counselee.

In the case that an individual is sent by an organization for evaluation and/or counseling, the sending organization will be asked to send a description of their goals for the counseling to both the counselee and to OTCC and the release of information form stating who within the organization the counseling report is to be released to signed by the counselee before counseling begins.

When children under 18 are in counseling written permission is obtained from the parents and the counselor will discuss with the parent(s) and the child the parameters of how and what will be shared with the parents. Your counselor will be able to answer specific questions or concerns in regard to confidentiality as needed.

Many people find that friends and organizations are very supportive of them receiving counseling. However, in occasional cases, some friends or supporters are concerned about how a counselor who is trained in psychology and is unfamiliar to them may influence their friend. If that is the case for you, you could invite people to contact us with any questions they might have. With your permission, we will be happy to respond. Because there are some people who have concerns about what it may mean for a person to seek counseling help, it is a good idea to begin sharing this information individually rather than in a general news update. This will give you an opportunity to respond individually to any questions or concerns others might express.

Some people find that after having completed a successful period of counseling, they want to address additional issues or pursue deeper healing at a later time. If this is the case for you, if you find that a follow-up is helpful to further enhance the growth that occurred, or if troubling problems begin to recur for you, it is often wise to return to the same counselor with whom you had counseled previously. In some cases, it can be positive to pursue counseling with a different counselor who has expertise in a particular area or is of the opposite gender.

We are available to do debriefing for unusual or stressful experiences, and trauma and crisis intervention either at our office or on location. In addition, we provide consultations at the individual, group or organizational level.

Our counselors are also available to provide educational workshops on team-building, leadership development, loss and grief, conflict resolution, collaborative communication on teams, transitions, living with uncertainty, theology of suffering, marriage enrichment, parenting, cross cultural adjustment, personal and spiritual resiliency, dealing with differences, managing emotions, cross-cultural issues in marriages and teams, stress management, and other spiritual or personal growth or organizational topics.

There are certain times when a counseling team may be able to visit people in the field where they work. If you have questions about field visits or other services please contact us with your inquiry.

Olive Tree Counseling Center is supported solely by suggested donations for services provided; no fees are charged. We offer a suggested donation amount of $75/hr, however we are aware that some will be able to give more, and others less.

None of our professional staff earn income from their services at the center. All donations collected are directed to maintaining the center and its ability to provide high quality supportive services.  Assessments done will be billed at the cost of the testing materials. Books/resources may also purchased.

Of course, transportation to Budapest, Hungary and lodging during your stay here are your responsibility. We can provide suggestions on where to stay and how to get around the city in response to your request for such information. Visit the BUDAPEST tab for more information.

If you are interested in receiving counseling or in obtaining other services please complete our Initial Contact Form or email additional questions to us at info@olivetreecounseling.org. If you are traveling to Antalya to receive services, the greater lead time you provide the more likely we can schedule you with the counselor best able to meet your particular need in an intensive short-term format. Travel arrangements should not be made until a confirmation of the counselor’s availability and counseling dates have been confirmed by our office in writing.