A gentle return to face-to-face care
Our Support Centre managers, Mike, Jane, Wendy and Steffi, are delighted to be gently welcoming clients back for face-to-face care, as lockdown measures continue to ease.
Covid-safe measures
Currently clients are coming in for pre-booked counselling and befriending appointments. Covid-safe measures are in place and we’re limiting visitors to one household at a time. Face-to-face therapies will restart in June.
Our Head of Services, Colette Cowan, says she wants everyone who visits to feel reassured that it’s safe:
“When the first lockdown was announced, local people really needed our support and we quickly introduced a range of remote support services. These have been popular and we’ll be keeping them available for clients who may find it more difficult to get into a Support Centre. But we can’t wait to get back to our Centres and we’ve been really touched by the number of people who’ve told us they feel the same. It really reaffirms the value of the community that clients, staff and volunteers create there. New clients have also been keen to visit the Centres to meet Phil, our wellbeing coordinator, and chat about what support they need. We’re encouraging all our staff and volunteers to have their Covid-19 vaccinations as soon as they’re offered it, and we have rigorous hygiene procedures in place. We want everyone who visits to feel reassured that it’s safe to do so.”
What it means to us
Jane Wooton, the manager of our Chandler’s Ford Support Centre explains what being back in the Centre means to her and her clients:
“It’s been really lovely to slowly welcome clients safely back into our Support Centres. There is now a gentle hum of voices as clients come in to see us for a well-needed face-to-face chat with a befriender or meet their counsellor for the first time in person rather than by phone. Our walking group has also restarted, allowing people valuable time and space to walk and chat to others in a small group – something that people have really missed this past year. It’s lovely to see them setting off all chatting away to one another.”
To find out how we can support you, please get in touch with one of our Support Centres by clicking here.
Click here to find out about our evolving remote services.