Vol.3 Issue: 1 - Counselling Unit Report

SUMMER HOLIDAYS
Believing that it is important to continue to offer counselling during Christmas and the summer holiday period, a skeleton staff was rostered on to cover the non-statutory holidays and to provide crisis support for those in need. This service gave families help to get through what was a difficult time for them at Christmas. The Unit staff are grateful to Sister Janice Gleeson, who has continued to be a valuable .locum. for the Unit. Her understanding of our Mary of the Cross Centre service and her experience helps her to fill the position comfortably.

CLIENTS
Over the last half-year the Unit has responded to a wide range of client concerns and to family members from all positions in the family. The majority of calls continue to be made by mothers and drug users. There has been an increasing number of inquiries regarding amphetamines, and cannabis still tends to be a major cause for concern. The table below sets out the counselling hours and contacts across all three service locations during the past six months.

EXPANSION
As Mary of the Cross Centre services are becoming better known in the community, counselling has increased. Our counselling service at the Cyrene Centre in Noble Park have expanded an extra day per week. Counselling at Joseph's Corner in Yarraville has also seen an increase in the number of clients contacting the service, thanks to the good promotional work of Joseph's Corner and Mary of the Cross Centre staff.

STAFF CHANGES
Staff of the Unit wish to thank Cathy Meese for her excellent work with the clients and her overall contribution to the Centre. We wish her all the best in her new position as a counsellor in a Catholic school in Tasmania. Kath Allison will be taking up the counselling role previously held by Cathy at Joseph's Corner on Mondays and Tuesdays.

EVALUATION Counselling Unit staff will be assisting Turning Point Drug and Alcohol Education Treatment and Research Centre in their project to evaluate alcohol and drug services. Some clients will be invited to comment on their experience of Mary of the Cross Centre services in order to assist the Department of Human Services in delivering drug and alcohol treatment throughout Victoria.

The Counselling Unit will also be conducting its own service evaluation. Evaluation forms will be posted out to people who have used the services of Mary of the Cross Centre, and an analysis will be made about aspects of the service such as service accessibility and effectiveness. Results are expected to be available for distribution in the Winter edition of .At the Cross..

NEW PROGRAMS Coming to an information forum on how to cope with drug issues in your family can be relieving and reassuring. Family members can come to hear information from a qualified counsellor and see that there are patterns to the way people respond to treatment. Many people find this extremely helpful as it arms them with some perspective and understanding as to what is happening for the drug and alcohol abuser. They come to the knowledge that the behaviour they are seeing is .normal. drug and alcohol abusing behaviour, and that other people are in similar circumstances to themselves. It can be empowering for family members to see that they are not alone in what they are facing.

They also come to understand that just as drug abuse has a way into a person's lifestyle, there is also a way out of the problem! It's often a matter of knowing what to do, having the support, being ready to try something different, and then practising and becoming better at what works. Obviously this all sounds too simple, and everyone knows that life and human emotions are not that predictable. But that does not negate the fact that .information is power., and many families have too little information to know what to do and when to do what.

Starting in March, Mary of the Cross Centre is offering a new program of information sessions about treatment and other drug and alcohol topics. The program is designed for family members who are concerned about current drug use issues. With a cup of tea after each session an opportunity will be provided to ask questions specific to each person's situation.

The Information Sessions will run at our Centre at 7 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy during March and April from 10am-11:30am. (See advertisement elsewhere in this newsletter). It is hoped that new and current clients will find the sessions a helpful extension to the counselling services of the Unit.

PARENT GROUPS Three BEST programs are planned for this year. These programs are aimed at helping parents who are concerned about their son or daughter's drug or alcohol use. BEST is a nine-session structured program with an opportunity to practise practical suggestions during the week. The first of these will be held at Mary of the Cross Centre in Fitzroy beginning Tuesday, 18th March from 7pm-9pm. Interested people are welcome to contact Counselling Unit Coordinator Theadora Wallace to discuss the program and its suitability. Other programs will be conducted at the Cyrene Centre and Joseph's Corner respectively over the following months. Details provided later.

STUDENTS AND INTERNS It has been very encouraging to see a range of Universities and training institutions contacting Mary of the Cross Centre seeking student placements. There have been more applicants than places, and a careful selection process is undertaken in order to choose students who will really benefit from the placement, while at the same time contribute their own particular skills to the Unit. The Unit took on five students in 2002 and two new students are ready to commence their placements in March. One student will be posted at the Cyrene Centre while the other will be based in Fitzroy. The team looks forward to the students. involvement in the work of the Counselling Unit and trusts that it will be a meaningful time in their training.