FRONTLINE social care workers from Southampton are being offered free counselling support by a charity to help them deal with their experiences during the pandemic (July 2022).
Options Wellbeing Trust, part of the not-for-profit enterprise Social Care in Action (SCiA), says frontline care workers may be suffering from the effects of the pandemic and not realise it.
Wendy Lee, Head of Health and Wellbeing at the charity based in Shirley, explains: “Frontline social care workers including in care homes or in the community in customer’s homes, played a huge role in getting Southampton through the pandemic. They worked tirelessly and at great risk, going above and beyond their usual roles to support the vulnerable people they care for. Many also saw customers and colleagues die during the two years.
“When a big, lifechanging event happens, we often don’t stop to think about how we’ve been affected by it, so we want to help care workers in our city process what they had to deal with and understand how what they experienced might be manifesting itself within their lives now. They could be feeling anxious, stressed or depressed but may not be able to determine the reason why, and we want to help them talk about their experiences and offer them coping strategies to use in everyday life.
“We’ve already had wonderful feedback from people we’re currently supporting and we’re seeing a positive impact on individual’s lives as a direct result of our service. But there’s much more we can do, and we know that there are many more frontline social care staff who we can help. They may be individuals who cannot afford counselling or would just like someone to talk to – we’re here for them and urge them to contact us as soon as they can. We want to support those who had and still have got the backs of everyone else who’s vulnerable in our society and help keep them safe and well too.”
Options Wellbeing Trust is offering its support for those social care workers or teams that feel they would benefit from the opportunity of talking in confidence with a counsellor.
Wendy adds: “Our professional counsellors will listen without judgement and support those who need it; helping to find the best way to deal with the impact together, giving people the tools and skills to maintain wellness independently and supporting them to a brighter future.
“The team at our sister organisation, SCA Care, which provides person-centred home care and day care activities to people across Southampton, already receive this support as a benefit of employment. But while we have funds available, we’d now like to extend this service to anyone who works in care across the city this summer.
“Counselling sessions are offered on a one-on-one basis or in small groups, face-to-face, online or by telephone. The service, which we have received limited funding for from Southampton City Council, is available exclusively to frontline social care workers, includes six sessions, completely free of charge and two follow up sessions. These are to check in and to see how people are doing and if they need more support.”
For a confidential, friendly and informal initial chat, please email the Options Wellbeing Trust team via support@optionswellbeing.co.uk or call on 023 8063 0219.
Options Wellbeing Trust is a long-established registered charity with more than 50 years’ experience in offering a range of professional and affordable therapeutic support, counselling, training and development services to people across Southampton, Hampshire and Dorset.
It is proud to assist people in communities at a grassroots level, making a difference to their lives, leading to a brighter future.
The charity supports people and helps them explore ways of recognising what is negatively impacting on their lives and finding ways of addressing and improving their wellbeing.
It delivers workshops and one-to-one help on a number of life issues including anxiety, depression, stress management, bereavement, trauma, relationships, and educational awareness groups on a range of topics including addictions, such as gambling, drinking, and gaming.
For further details, please visit www.optionswellbeing.co.uk.
