EAST CENTRAL — Partners Family Services is expanding both their children exposed to violence program and walk-in counselling services.
The children exposed to violence therapeutic program is receiving an additional child and youth clinical counsellor to focus on youth one-on-one.
This expansion is a result of the federal government providing $454,000 in funding over three years. This finding will go toward the additional clinical counsellor as well as to continue the group programming.
“Originally it was funded as a therapeutic group program for children who had been exposed to some kind of violence in their life,” said Hayley Kennedy, executive director for PARTNERS Family Services. “Through the delivery of that program we realized there was a significant need for those young people to also access one-to-one counselling services outside of the group therapeutic process.
So this expansion of the program allows for the continuation of the group… but also the addition of a dedicated clinical counsellor to focus on children and youth who have additional needs.”
Kennedy said they received this funding the day before the election was announced in September. As a result of this, they couldn’t share the announcement until after.
“For us, we’re certainly respectful of the processes of government,” she said. “It's something we’ve been looking at sharing with the communities but also quite understanding of the need to respect the existing processes.”
Partners Family Services is also expanding walk in counselling clinics to include three additional rural communities; these include Cudworth, Wakaw and Wadena.
“We’ve added Wadena and it’s active, and we are starting in November in Wakaw and Cudworth,” Kennedy said.
Walk in counselling is a partnership between Family Service Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Health Authority that provides a solution focused single session model of counselling available to anyone to drop in without an appointment.
“Our announcement of the walk in counselling wasn’t necessarily restricted by the election, because it’s provincially funded not federally, but we wanted to share that overall expansion of services at the same time.”
Details regarding Children Exposed to Violence programing, counselling, and all other programs are available on the Partners Family Services website at partnersfamilyservices.ca. There is no fee for any program or service.
Walk in counselling is currently available in Humboldt two days per week, Wynyard one day per week, and Wadena one day per week.
