THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay Counselling Centre have announced that counselling services are coming to the Internet. With a $98,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Thunder Bay Counselling Centre, in partnership with The Catholic Family Development Centre, and the Children’s Centre Thunder Bay, are proud to announce that e-counselling services are coming to Thunder Bay.
“This is wonderful news, especially for people living in communities outside of Thunder Bay,” said Michael Gravelle, MPP for Thunder Bay-Superior North. “Having online counselling services available will make response time so much quicker, and I applaud the three agencies involved in this outreach program. This project will have a very positive impact for people in Northwestern Ontario and I’m thrilled that the Ontario Trillium Foundation is supporting these efforts,” Gravelle added.
Thunder Bay residents will soon have the option of accessing personal counselling services with a simple click of the mouse.
E-counselling has seen tremendous growth over the past decade, providing an opportunity for clients to be served by specialists regardless of barriers to access. The service is based on confidential e-mail exchanges between a professional counsellor and a client.
Thunder Bay Counselling Centre Executive Director Nancy Chamberlain said, “Thunder Bay Counselling Centre is thrilled to receive this funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. E-counselling is a highly sought-after and successful counselling solution. It will increase the capacity within our community to help more individuals and families to start positively changing their lives. Our clients will now be able to connect with counsellors in confidence and from the comfort of their own home.”
E-counselling has proven to be particularly successful for people living in remote or isolated areas, people who are homebound due to disabilities or agoraphobia, or those that have a schedule that just does not allow for sessions at convenient times during the day.
Catholic Family Development Centre Executive Director, Rob Barrett shares, “E-counselling records thoughts and feelings, similar to journaling, and is definitely popular for all ages groups who typically communicate through social media. Another advantage is the fact that clients can review messages more than once to really help them explore solutions to their problems. ” The new e-counselling services will involve counselors from the three participating organizations who will all be trained by a certified professional with expertise in providing e-counselling services. The service will be available this fall. Thunder Bay Counselling Centre, Catholic Family Development Centre and Children’s Centre Thunder Bay, is very appreciative of the support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to enable the organizations to bring this service to the city.
For more information visit: www.tbaycounselling.com