Counselling centre seeking partnerships

Six out of 10 children in North Bay experience some form of emotional or physical abuse, stressing the need for counseling, a spokesman of the Nipissing Community Counseling Centre said.

Scott Clark said the centre has started a campaign to create partnerships in the community, that will help provide counseling to those who need it but can’t afford it.

“We’re asking for contributions from the community to help provide counseling services that aren’t covered under government assistance, “ Clark said Thursday at the campaign launch at the White Owl Bistro.

Hit rock bottom
Clark said assistance is covered, for example, for people who have a gambling problem or are abusing alcohol, a partner or a family member.

But government cuts have now restricted what sort of counseling is available without charge.

“If someone is on the path to hit rock bottom, services aren’t available until they hit rock bottom, so what we’re trying to do is to create unique partnerships in the community to bring in the funds so those services are available earlier,” Clark said.

Make a difference
Lives can be changed through the partnerships, Clark said, because it wouldn’t take a significant amount of money for help to be provided.

“A $480 donation could help save a marriage, $2,000 could help brighten the future of six people in the community, $3,000 can help save six marriages, $5,000 can restore harmony in five entire families,” Clark said.

“So these kinds of partnerships and these kinds of donations will make a difference."

Deficit of services
The counseling centre now has 20 fulltime counselors, said Glenn King, chairman of the organization’s board of directors.

He said the initiative was brought to the board by staff members, who indicated there was “a deficit” of services available for low income or fixed income people.

“As a board we realized that through creating these partnerships we would be able to hire a new fulltime counselor to provide those services, and it would also help to maintain the solvency and sustainability of the agency,” King said.