Family counselling service, 2002

In almost half of the cases dealt with by the family counselling offices last year, clients stated relationship problems as the main reason for contacting a family counselling office. The second largest group was made up of people with problems in the parent-child relationship, accounting for three out of ten cases.

Women more likely to seek help

The family counselling service has traditionally been aimed at couples and families. This is not only reflected in the problems most frequently reported to family counselling offices, but also in the composition of people who contact the offices. Among those who first contact a family counselling office (primary clients), four out of ten are married. If we include couples living together, the figure is just over 60 per cent.

Women were strongly over-represented among primary clients, as almost seven out of ten are women. The trend that women contact the family counselling service more often than men applies to the country as a whole. A majority of these women are in the age group 35-44 years, a stage in life which is characterized both by an active family life and an active working life.

For cases where more than one party has attended one or more counselling sessions, the other party is the primary clients partner or ex-partner in the majority of cases. In 2002, approximately 16,600 cases were registered with both primary client and another party.

Counselling starts early

In 2002, the average time from the primary client contacted the family counselling service to the first counselling session was 34 days. For 71 per cent of all cases dealt with by the family counselling service, the first session took place within one month of the first contact. However, these figures vary considerably across counties. In Hordaland, the first counselling session took place within one month for four out of ten cases, whereas the figure is nine out of ten for Telemark.

The average treatment time after the first session had taken place was 123 days, or four months. Among 18,250 closed cases in 2002, almost 50 per cent were closed within two months. Only 3 per cent lasted 18 months or longer. Considerable regional variations are evident also here. For family counselling offices in Tromsø, approximately seven out of ten cases were closed within two months, whereas the figure is three out of ten for Sør-Trøndelag.

Considerable variations in time spent per case

In 2002, therapists spent an average 4,5 man-hours on direct client treatment. Preparatory and supplementary work is excluded from this figure. Therapists at family counselling offices in Vest-Agder spent most time on direct client treatment with almost six man-hours per case, while their colleagues in Tromsø spent just under three man-hours per case.

Most cases closed in agreement with client

Among the cases that were closed in 2002, 86 per cent were closed in agreement with the client. Only 14 per cent of cases were closed as a result of the client not showing up for the final session. Almost 30 per cent of cases were transferred to 2003 for further treatment.

Employment in family counselling

In 2002, there were 380 positions in the family counselling service in Norway. Among those, 100 positions were part-time. A comparison of the number of positions in family counselling services and inhabitants per county shows that Finnmark comes out on top with just over two positions per 10,000 inhabitants. Østfold is at the bottom with less than one position per 10,000 inhabitants.

The overview of how different groups of professionals are represented in the family counselling service shows that 39 per cent of positions are held by trained social workers, whereas psychologists hold 26 per cent. Only in the counties of Akershus and Oslo do psychologists have a higher representation than trained social workers.

Tables:

• Table 1 Family counselling services, cases by reason for inquiry, county and office. 2002
• Table 2 Family counselling services, cases by period of waiting, county and office. 2002
• Table 3 Family counselling services, closed cases by duration, county and office. 2002
• Table 4 Family counselling services, counselling sessions by county and office. 2002
• Table 5 Family counselling services, by status per 31 December 2002, by county
• Table 6 Family counselling services, by main actions in the counselling, by county an office. 2002
• Table 7 Family counselling services, by body of reference and county. 2002
• Table 8 Family counselling services, man-hours spent on counselling sessions, county and office. 2002
• Table 9 Family counselling services, full-time and part-time positions, by county. 2002
• Table 10 Family counselling services, positions by educational groups and county. 2002