Group Counselling at the Snowdrop Project
By Megan Bethell, Marketing and Communications Manager at Snowdrop.
Counselling is a vital element of the long-term support provided by Snowdrop. One-to-one counselling, offers those who are ready to begin discussing their past with in-depth trauma-focussed counselling. Whereas our group counselling sessions, which are tailored to those who are not yet ready to discuss past experiences, focus on symptom management and relaxation techniques.
“Whenever I have trouble, everyone [at Snowdrop] could give me a hand. This is really meaningful to me. I feel like my future has become brighter because Snowdrop can help me.”
Snowdrop client Siti* received 7 months of one-to-one counselling with an interpreter.
This April, we have started our third Counselling Group! The aim of these sessions are to provide survivors with the opportunity to gain important information on a range of topics including: anxiety, issues with sleep, low mood and managing symptoms of trauma. Clients are guided through information on each topic by the Snowdrop counsellors (Eila & Bernie) before practicing take-home coping techniques, such as simple breathing exercises to help manage anxiety. After the last group in November 2017, two-thirds of attendees reported they ‘experienced recovery from their symptoms’. Everyone showed reliable improvement.
“The techniques have helped me so much… I didn’t go out for 3 months. Because of the counselling, I can go out – I know I can manage how I feel.” Snowdrop Client Amna*
Many survivors are typically unable to access therapeutic support due to their limited English, or issues with childcare – at Snowdrop, we aim to overcome these barriers. Since most of our clients speak either English or Albanian, we provide an Albanian interpreter with information sheets in both languages. We also offer childcare through our trained activity volunteers to ensure that each women can fully engage with the group.
We hope the new group will ensure that survivors who are not ready for in-depth counselling, but who would like support with issues like anxiety and sleep, can access helpful and professional guidance.
Find out more about us and our counselling service on our website here.