Meet Marie - a Roving 1 to 1 Counsellor Bringing Therapy Directly to Homes
By Mental Health Correspondent
Meet Marie who is a counsellor for Wellbeing Charity based in North Somerset, UK, who is bringing therapy direct to homes.
My journey began when I started my counselling degree and needed to be in a counselling placement, personal counselling and supervision.
As a wheelchair user with a rare neurological disorder and heart condition it was almost impossible to find a low-cost organisation or charity that could give me a placement purely because of physical accessibility.
The next step was to find a personal counsellor and supervisor and again I was met with a “no” multiple times, purely because of access.
This led me to thinking about the clients with physical access needs and how difficult it is for them to find low cost or donation-based counselling as even if the room is ground floor there are often other barriers such as a step, steep ramps or no accessible toilets which mean the client had to have someone bring them taking away independence.
Many of my Wellspring clients are housebound or at least housebound without the help of another person due to physical disability, chronic long term health conditions, terminal illness or dementia.
Some have also become housebound because of complex trauma, anxiety or PTSD and have physical health needs as well.
I have also worked with a couple of clients who are unable to leave their house due to their caring responsibilities and having no one to leave the person they are caring for with.
Some of the conditions my current and past clients have are dementia, complex PTSD, EUPD, fear of leaving the house, spinal conditions and arthritis, fibromyalgia, stoma bags, cancer, heart and lung conditions, liver and kidney failure, mild learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorder and caring responsibilities that mean they can not leave the person alone in the house.
Most of my clients have a complex mix of multiple physical and mental health conditions.
Buildings being accessible from doors being easy to open, step free access, ground floor rooms, accessible toilets, and a person to help them enter the building would be needed by most of my clients.
Transport is a huge problem for my clients as most of them are not able to drive due to their health conditions or disabilities and public transport can also be very tricky partly because of disability or mental health.
Some of them live in areas across north somerset where public transport is limited and difficult them to access.
I currently see clients who are in care homes or sheltered accommodation for older people and they would not be able to access counselling without my home visits. Waiting in public areas such as waiting rooms is also very anxiety provoking for some of my clients with mental health conditions and has led to them being unable to manage and engage with appointments.
The issues I work with are diverse, however a major theme that arises is working around acceptance of how chronic long term illness, disability and dementia can heavily impact and the transition needed to cope with a new often more limited way of being.
I work with multiple older clients who are processing coping with being housebound, near the end of their lives with medical issues, and moving into assisted living or care homes which can be extremely difficult. I have also worked with terminal illness where the work was around the client, who was not elderly, wanting to accept that she would die, where she would go, who she would leave behind and work through the very difficult emotions, loss and grief attached to this.
There are other clients who I work with that have physical conditions and also have crippling anxiety, panic attacks or PTSD that is preventing them leaving their house and for these clients counselling at home has helped them to process, understand and regulate their emotions combined with SMART goals that we gradually build up as their self esteem and confidence increase.
It is amazingly rewarding when a client who has not left the house for 3 years begins to build their confidence and go out with another person and for one client recently on their own! A huge achievement.
One of Marie’s clients said:
“I couldn’t stay in counselling before because I got so anxious in waiting rooms and could sometimes not get there because of panic attacks leaving my house. This time I have managed every session unless I had medical appointment or was ill and I am getting so much from counselling”.
“Having Marie come to my house is a godsend, I would not currently be able to get to mainstream services because of health, anxiety and not being able to get out on my own. Marie is empathic and really listens to me”.
“I am so thankful for the service Marie is providing; it would not be possible for me to get to the wellspring offices due to physical disability and needing a carer and transport. This service is invaluable”.
“When Marie met me I could not leave the house due to anxiety and had become housebound, she has helped me get to a place where I can go out with my son and I have recently managed to go for local dog walks alone, a big thank you"
