NCU’s Counselling
Centre – Healing the Wounds of pain and hurt.
The Community
Counseling Restorative Justice Centre (CCRJC), run under the
auspices of the Northern Caribbean University and the Ministry of
National Security and Justice, began its second year of operation
on October 23, 2004. The centre, ideally located on the Rural
Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) building on Caledonia
Road, Mandeville boasts a client list of some 300 persons who have
received treatment.
The centre, which
has been in operation since January 2003 but was officially opened
on October 23rd last year, is a part of the University’s outreach
programme through its Behavioural Sciences department in
collaboration with the local arms of both the Ministry of Justice
and Ministry of National Security, through the Manchester Resident
Magistrate court and the Area Three Police.
The centre offers
services such as pre-marital and marital counseling, trauma victim
support, self esteem check and building, conflict resolution, anger
management and depression. They also offer individual, group and
family counseling. Of the offered services, the most sought after is
that which caters to trauma victims. In this category of victims,
adolescents and young adults suffering from sexual assaults rank
highly.
The services
provided by the Centre is supported by a wide range of referrals
from the Resident Magistrates Court, Victim Support Unit Probation
Office, CICOCA (Rape Unit) as well as other private agencies and
walk-ins from the community. The centre, in its quest to
rehabilitate persons affected by crime, has designed programmes for
role models to interact with school-aged children and pass on
positive values and attitudes.
The feedback from
clients is “great” says Ms Kerry Swaby, Counsellor at the Justice
Centre. She is in the process of doing a survey to see how well the
services of the centre has impacted on the people of Mandeville.
However, “though the centre has been doing great, it faces certain
difficulties. For one there is a lack of space, facilities and
equipment. The centre needs a television and a VCR for the
enhancement of its counseling sessions”, she said. Plans however
are being made to raise funds to lessen the difficulties faced by
the centre.
To celebrate its
second year, the centre hopes to launch a resource corner where
individuals may gain reading material on how to cope with any
problems they may be having. |
