Bridge House are delighted to announce the opening of the in house counselling room, for one to one, group and crisis counselling.
At Bridge House we use theory based practice throughout our work.
According to Hough (2014, pp.160), ‘Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, was a formulated theory of human motivation which outlines a series of innate needs, which, he believed, gave purpose, satisfaction and meaning to life’. Therefore, to achieve the higher need of ‘Self-actualisation’ firstly the person must satisfy the lowest need of ‘Physical need’ which is concerned with hunger and thirst. The residents of Bridge House are homeless and have suffered poverty and privation so are unlikely to be concerned with self-actualisation needs when they are preoccupied with the basic survival needs first and foremost.
To such ends, we must support their physical needs before they can grow and achieve.
Mental Health is a huge issue, and there are barriers to Mental Health Services for our client group such as;
Substance Misuse
Lack of engagement with outside services
Sensitivity of subject and the unwillingness to talk openly to a stranger
Personal barriers such as agoraphobia or trust issues
Location of services
Providing in-house counselling in a community environment removes these barriers and provides an opportunity to address deep seated issues.
On 21st December, the Counselling room was officially opened by Cllr Bob Cook and named ‘The Wilson Suite’ after our current Chairman, John Wilson.
Police & Crime Commissioner Barry Coppinger was also in attendance.
This is a huge step for Bridge House in the continuing to improve the support service in which we provide and we have no doubt that this could be a vital part of moving forward for many of residents.
