By Barbara Roden
“It’s a very broad program; we do a little bit of everything,” says Paol Hadden, a counselling supervisor at the Cariboo Family Enrichment Centre (CFEC) in 100 Mile House.
The CFEC has counselling programs tailored to all ages and demands, and individuals, families and couples can seek assistance.
“We do individual counselling for people of any age; anger management counselling would be an example.
“We also offer relationship counselling, such as for parents and teens. We meet with the parents and youth separately to find out what the problems are, and then bring them together to try to find a resolution.”
Couples counselling is something else that is offered, with a counsellor meeting both parties individually and then bringing them together.
“Trust, communication and boundaries are all issues that come up.”
Hadden notes the period right after Christmas is a busy time for counselling services, as is the early fall when school starts up.
The CFEC is also able to offer some parenting help, for families who have special needs children. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is an area they specialize in, with a counsellor trained in that field. “There’s a high need for that in this area.”
Hadden cautions that people in crisis would be better advised to contact Mental Health Services, as counsellors at the CFEC are often not able to make an appointment for two to three weeks.
He adds they get a number of requests for help with substance abuse and grief counselling, and can help people to an extent, but will refer them to more specific services as appropriate.
“A big part of the job is to connect people with other resources. If people are in crisis, we might not be a good fit.”
Barbara Roden is the Ashcroft/Cache Creek Journal editor.