Issue 30 March
2010
OACAS: Position Statement
We have been operating in Orkney since 1975, and as our name
suggests, we specialise in substance misuse issues. Our
wide-ranging training and expertise enables our professionally
trained, qualified and supervised workers to also offer
“generic” Counselling: assistance for people with other
problems (which can often lead to substance misuse issues) such
as anger, grief, low mood, depression, relationship
difficulties/breakdown, gambling, eating disorders etc. By
helping our clients to address these matters we can and do
restrict the onset of alcohol problems.
Whilst affiliated to Alcohol Focus Scotland (AFS), the national
campaigning body, we are independent of it and have over the
years developed our services to meet local needs in Orkney. We
deliver one-to-one Counselling at our Kirkwall premises, with
some outreach work done at the Stromness GP surgery, and we have
regular surgeries on Sanday and Stronsay. We also offer a
specialised Youth Counselling Service, and have recently
initiated a Counselling-in-Schools
service. We utilise a mix of paid and volunteer
Counsellors, some with “basic” AFS training, some with
University-accredited Post Graduate Diplomas in Counselling.
Because of the varied skills, interests and qualifications of
our workers we can deliver many types of talking therapies
tailored to meet the needs of the client ranging from listening
and brief interventions, through “CBT” , to long interventions
for those with deep-seated and enduring problems. At our third
annual COSCA (Counselling & Psychotherapy in Scotland) visit
last summer the Assessor saw us as “...a well run
community-oriented organisation comprising an enthusiastic and
committed group of staff and volunteers...”
In the year ended 31 March 2009 we saw 213 clients over 1173
sessions; since then we have seen a 28% increase in new client
referrals, many of whom are referred by NHS Orkney. The volume
of work reflects the readiness of clients to approach us, and a
general acceptance of the benefits of quality talking therapy.
The onset of additional pressures on individuals as
recession worsens is a major factor in the increase of client
numbers. The need for our Service is proven.
We are also seeing the first effects of recession on funding – a
general unease in the voluntary sector with some main charitable
funders closing their doors to applications,
and governmental calls for us to do “more for less”, to
share costs, premises etc. It has always been a constant battle
to maintain adequate funding. Because so much of the counselling
is delivered by volunteers the government is already getting a
part-free service, because most of our staff are part-time, a
lot of overtime is being done for nothing. If we are continually
getting more clients (and 28% is quite a lot more!) we surely
need more, not less, funding. We are a key front-line service
which saves the state far more than is spent on us (the
government continually delivers reports on the escalating costs
of alcohol misuse to the nation). We would like to be able to
pay our staff fairly for the extra hours they give us, we would
like to carry on saving the state (and taxpayer) the huge
amounts of money that alcohol misuse and general low level
mental health problems cost. Most of all we want to ensure that
the population of Orkney have speedy access to quality talking
therapy services when they require them. Cutting funding will
not save anybody money in the long run!
AFS Training
Because of the continual increase in the numbers of clients
approaching our service, we require to take on more Trainee
Counsellors, and utilising funding from the local Alcohol &
Drugs Partnership we have commenced basic training of 6 new
counsellors. Sam Smith, an AFS Trainer based in Inverness, is
delivering the training over four weekends. From March 21st,
under close supervision, these additional volunteers will be
able to commence Counselling with us.
AFS Accreditation
2 years after completing her basic training, after over 120
hours supervised client contact time, and completing her
training portfolio to the satisfaction of the assessment panel,
we are pleased to report that Lianne Halleran has achieved
Accredited Counsellor status within the network of Councils on
Alcohol in Scotland
Andi Ross, our Clinical Intake Worker, recently completed AFS’
Practice Supervisor training.
New Staff Appointment
June Anderson will join us this month as in-school Counsellor to
work initially in Kirkwall Grammar School. This exciting new
post is jointly funded as an initial one year pilot by Orkney
Alcohol & Drugs Partnership, Orkney LEADER and OACAS.
June comes to us from Mull where she was recently working in
Tobermory High School. She has also worked with 5-11 year olds
(with “Place 2 Be”) and 18-25 year olds. She holds a graduate
Diploma in Professional Counselling Studies, and like our Youth
Counselling Co-ordinator, recently obtained a post qualifying
Diploma in Counselling Children and Young People from ABC
Awards. She is looking forward to working with our young
persons’ team and developing the in-school Counselling service
with us, assisted by Susan McGuiness of Strathclyde University
who will be helping us in a Consultancy role. June is also a
BACP (British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy)
Member.
Board Members
Resignation
Dr Peter Hardus has resigned, having returned to the Netherlands
(although it was resolved to retain him as “advisor to the
board”).
Appointments
Lynne Spence
Dr Sam Wilson MRCPsych
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