Up to 10 free sessions to help women and men in the community
The Revelstoke Women’s Shelter Society provides shelter for women experiencing abuse and now they are addressing the issues that bring them there with an in-house counsellor.
Funded through the shelter, counsellor Terri Forester (RTCC) has come onboard to work with clients in the house as well as up to ten free sessions for women and men who participate in the shelter’s outreach programs.
These programs are the women’s group Moving Forward and men’s group Moving Mountains. Local agencies can refer clients to these programs and individuals can also self-refer.
“These programs are a gateway to helping more people in the community,” shelter executive director Lynn Loeppky said.
The shelter saw a need to have its own counsellor due to waiting times for free counsellors in town, client affordability issues and the sometimes emergency needs of their clients.
“As soon as they come into the shelter they will have access to that expert counselling and they can feel supported,” Loeppky said.
Counsellors are often part of transition houses as well as the more long-term form of shelter called second-stage, which the Revelstoke women’s shelter has applied for.
Forester recently graduated from the Kelowna College of Professional Counselling and she comes with a wealth of knowledge, understanding and life experience.
“I’ve always been a diplomat, a listener, the one to guide in my family and circle of friends,” Forester said. “This type of work has just come naturally to me.”
Before choosing this path Forester worked at Work B.C. When people lost a job she saw that it was a major loss for them and they experienced grief and emotions they didn’t know how to handle.
“I really wanted to figure out how to help that person move through that transition in a gentler way,” Forester said.
People can come to Terri for a range of issues and some will need a single session while others may need more. Forester can also work with families or children on their own. Her therapy style is a mix, focusing on what works for her clients, and she brings a holistic understanding to her work with a background as a trained Reiki practitioner and EFT (emotional freedom technique)/tapping practitioner. She also volunteers for the national crisis text line for kids and the Revelstoke Hospice Society.
In times of Covid-19 and as we head into precautions for a second wave, Forester said grief is something many people in the Revelstoke community may be dealing with.
“We have lost a way of life,” she said. “Emotions linger and build, I think it’s important that people start talking to one another, now, before they don’t know what to do.”
“The human experience is sometimes messy and sometimes fantastic. From all of that there is an opportunity for growth, for renewal. I think the trick is to figure out what it means for you, because it is different for everybody, and that’s where counselling comes in.
“Give it a try, take the first step. I think everyone is worth it. Make the investment in yourself.”
Contact details:
Women’s group – Moving Forward. Coordinator Anneliese Neweduk: call/text 250-814-8387 or email [email protected]
Men’s group – Moving Mountains. Coordinator Taha Attiah: call/text 250-837-1572 or email [email protected]
Revelstoke Women’s Shelter Society office: 250-837-4382
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