PANSOW seeks clarification regarding mandatory counselling for Mifegymiso

Posted on

The following letter was sent to the Hon. Dr. John Haggie, Minister of Health and Community Services via email at the end of May 2018. PANSOW requested clarification on his comments regarding the need for women to receive counselling before being prescribed the abortion pill, Mifegymiso. To date, no response has been received from his office. We urge you to join us in contacting the Minister of Health and Community Services to ensure that Mifegymiso is readily available to all women throughout the province through clinics and their family doctor without the need for mandatory counselling. 

Dear Minister John Haggie,

The Provincial Action Network on the Status of Women (PANSOW) is seeking clarification on your statement in regards to counselling for the abortion pill, Mifegymiso. Are you suggesting that women receive mental health counselling before being prescribed the medication or just a discussion with their doctor about potential side-effects of the medication?

PANSOW represents the eight Status of Women Councils of this province and we are pro-choice organizations that support people’s right to choose. We want to see Mifegymiso covered by MCP and that every family doctor or nurse practitioner can prescribe it to their patients.

It is important that women from any area of the province, particularly rural and remote areas, have access to this much needed and time sensitive service. Requiring women to access counselling before they can be prescribed the medication is a barrier with already lengthy wait times for counselling throughout the province or simply unavailable in some parts of the province.

We look forward to your response.

Thank you,

Janice Kennedy, Co-Chair of PANSOW

Media Contact
Jenny Wright
Executive Director
St. John’s Status of Women Council
PANSOW, Co-Chair
Tel: 709.753.0220
jenny@sjwomenscentre.ca

About PANSOW
The Provincial Action Network on the Status of Women (PANSOW) is a grassroots, feminist, and non-partisan network which gives a provincial voice on the issues facing the Status of Women in Newfoundland and Labrador. PANSOW consists of all eight Status of Women Councils in Newfoundland and Labrador.

We’re HIRING: Team Lead – Counsellor

Posted on

Team Lead – Counsellor

We are seeking a dynamic, feminist counsellor to oversee our innovative Right Here, Right Now drop-in single session clinic, and to facilitate group work and individual advocacy. This position will provide supervision and support to our team and offer counselling and community education and awareness.

This unique position is perfect for an experienced counsellor with administrative and team lead experience, who is ready to help guide our counselling service to the next level.

St. John’s Status of Women Council
The St. John’s Status of Women Council/Women’s Centre is a feminist organization that since 1972 is continually working to achieve equality and justice through political activism, community collaboration and the creation of a safe and inclusive space for all women in the St. John’s area. The St. John’s Status of Women Council operates the Women’s Centre, Marguerite’s Place Supportive Housing Program, and the Safe Harbour Outreach Project.

Position Summary
This position coordinates and oversees all clinical services at the St. John’s Women’s Centre, including the Right Here, Right Now drop-in counselling clinic, group work, individual advocacy, and crisis intervention.

The Team Lead will facilitate a learning environment whereby team members are supported to work to their full scope of practice. The Team Lead will be proficient in single session counselling and supervision, and demonstrate excellence in leadership, role-modeling, communication and organizational skills, problem solving, and decision-making.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
• Provide counselling within our single session drop-in clinic, facilitate group work and individual advocacy.
• Facilitate ongoing orientation and learning for new and transferring staff, as well as student
placement initiatives.
• Mentor staff through supporting, teaching, role modeling, and coaching.
• Identify clinical issues requiring staff education and work collaboratively with the team and
community to address learning needs.
• Role model professional practice and promote best practice.
• Collect and analyze data and write reports.
• Act as a clinical resource for staff.

Qualifications
• Certified counsellor or M.S.W required.
• Minimum of three (3) years clinical experience. Preference given for experience in community mental health, women-centred therapeutic work.
• Proven competency in single session, narrative, and feminist therapy.
• Experience with group work, advocacy, and crisis intervention.
• Experience working with women and substance misuse.
• Demonstrated time management, communication (verbal and written), organizational and
interpersonal skills required.
• Demonstrated leadership, delegation, critical thinking and problem-solving skills involving
innovation/creativity in solution development.
• Proven team building, leadership, goal development, and evaluation skills.
• Experience working in an inclusive environment, working with trans, Indigenous, LGBTQ, and sex working women.

Hours of Work
Monday-Friday (9 a.m.-5 p.m.), some evenings and weekends as required.

To Apply
This position closes on Friday, April 27, 2018 at 4:00 p.m.

Please send your resume and a cover letter clearly outlining how your experience meets our requirements to Jenny Wright, Executive Director at jenny@sjwomenscentre.ca.

Indigenous, WOC, Trans and sex working women are encouraged to apply for this position.

Due to the high volume of responses we get to job postings, unfortunately only those who are moving on to the interview process will receive a response.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Drop-in Counselling Program Successfully Completes Pilot Project

Posted on

The Right Here, Right Now (RHRN) drop-in counselling clinic, the region’s first and only drop-in counselling clinic for women, today releases a comprehensive evaluation of their innovative pilot program.

The Right Here, Right Now Drop-In Counselling Initiative represents a partnership between the St. John’s Status of Women Council/Women’s Centre (SJSWC/WC) and the School of Social Work at Memorial University. The initiative was led by Dr. Catherine de Boer, Associate Professor with the School of Social Work. Memorial’s Office of Public Engagement provided $10,000 in funding for the design and evaluation of the project.

Over the course of the six-month pilot, a total of 156 counselling sessions were offered to 78 women. The primary concern of women coming for counselling was their mental health, (e.g., anxiety, depression, PTSD) relationships, and trauma.

According to the evaluation results, the pilot of the RHRN counselling clinic was a resounding success. Women who utilized the service found it useful, with many choosing to return for repeat sessions or to engage in other programs offered by the Women’s Centre. As hoped, RHRN did provide a necessary stop gap for women awaiting traditional mental health services within the region. The evaluation noted that 32 per cent of women who utilized the service were on waitlists for “traditional” mental health services, with a mean wait time of 15.5 months. The average length of the RHRN service, from intake through the wait time and a completed counselling session was 90 minutes.

The evaluation found the RHRN drop-in counselling clinic to offer a useful, relevant, and responsive service for women in the community. Counselling sessions continue to be offered through the program twice a week, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the Women’s Centre from 12-5 p.m. The SJSWC/WC is seeking sustaining funding for the program with the goal of continuing to offer it long-term. The complete pilot program evaluation is available for download here. 

Quotes:
“At the Women’s Centre we saw a huge gap in the availability of mental health services, especially for women, that we wanted to address. With the guidance of Dr. Catherine de Boer we were able to develop an in-house, first of its kind therapeutic model that works. It quickly became evident that responsive community organizations have a unique ability to deliver quality services with limited financial resources and the project evaluation demonstrates that. We cannot downplay the benefits of a counselling program placed within a community organization – women came for counselling, but then they connected to other programs and found a sense of community. I am incredibly proud of what we accomplished.”

Jenny Wright
Executive Director
St. John’s Status of Women Council

“The success of this pilot project is a testament to what can be accomplished when universities and community partners truly work collaboratively. This project worked because we shared a common vision – to offer a service that was accessible, women-focused and useful. I am humbled by the trust women placed in us and this drop-in counselling initiative and so pleased the six-month pilot was a success.”

Catherine de Boer
Associate Professor, School of Social Work
Memorial University

Highlights:

    • The Right Here, Right Now drop-in counselling clinic is the region’s first and only drop-counselling clinic operating out of a community organization.
    • 78 women came through the doors during the six-month pilot and 156 sessions were offered.
    • 86 per cent of the women used the RHRN clinic as a short-term counselling service, (i.e., came for either one or two sessions) which was the intention of the program.
    • Every woman who came for service was seen on the same day, the average length of service (including the intake and counselling session) was 90 minutes.
    • 64 per cent of the women who received drop-in counselling had never accessed services at the Women’s Centre before – 50 per cent of these “new” women remained engaged by either returning for additional counselling or by attending other programs at the St. John’s Women’s Centre.
    • The primary presenting concern of women coming in for counselling was their mental health, specifically anxiety, depression, bi-polar disorder, and addictions.

-30-

 Media Contacts
Jenny Wright
Executive Director
St. John’s Status of Women Council
Tel. 709.753.0220
jenny@sjwomenscentre.ca

Catherine de Boer
Associate Professor, School of Social Work
Memorial University
Tel. 709.743.4500
cdeboer@mun.ca

About St. John’s Status of Women Council/Women’s Centre 
The St. John’s Status of Women Council/Women’s Centre is a feminist organization that since 1972 is continually working to achieve equality and justice through political activism, community collaboration and the creation of a safe and inclusive space for all women in the St. John’s area. The St. John’s Status of Women Council operates the Women’s Centre, Marguerite’s Place Supportive Housing Program and the Safe Harbour Outreach Project.