Question about Introducing Mystic Wicks Peer Counselors

[Faeawyn]

Does this still exist? We have soooo many new members, that I don't think people are even aware of this program any more. I just noticed it mentioned in another thread and had totally forgotten about it myself.
Do you think perhaps it's time to re-vamp it a bit....maybe add some new counselors? (I don't recognize some of the ones listed)
Just a thought :D

For those of you who are unfamiliar...here is the original thread
http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=8381

[{Tigress}]

I'm all for it! Counselling is my Work, and I'd love to have a place where those in need could come those of us who are called to help can easily find eachother.

[LadyTrinity]

Anyone can always PM me or MSN me for advice or just to get stuff off their chests :veryweird

[Tzhebee]

My doors are always open....whether or not someone is home is the question. :D

[Aine of the Fae]

I'd be all for joining up. I'm not a pro counselor, but I do have some counseling training, and lots and lots of life experience, so I can be a good sounding board :D

[Holly Ariadna]

I'd love to join too. I might be younger than most people here, and I'm not a professional counselor, but I'm really interested in psychology and I have a lot of personal experience that's helped me help a lot of people already. :)

[Jaroson]

I am employed as an adviser and advise on a host of things including unemployment, depression, alchoholism, drug/substance abuse. I'd volunteer.

[Faeawyn]

I pm'd Mol and asked him to pop in here when he gets a chance. I thought maybe he could give us some direction with this :)

[soilsigh aingeal]

That's a wonderful idea, I would love to help out too!

[sanc]

great idea *jumps on the band wagon* im all up for helping anyone out!

[{Tigress}]

Is it possible to get counselling now? I don't know if there is much hope for my situation, but advice would be nice.Feel free to PM me, or I bet I could volunteer any one of us who have posted in this thread. I, and I'm sure the rest of us too, will be happy to do anything we can to help. :)

[WandererInGray]

*laughs* I was going to revamp this at one point, but then I got distracted by the Registry. Good idea Faeawyn! I'd be willing to offer my ear as well once you get it up and running again.

[Blondie]

I would love to be a counselor!

Every team needs a queer!

Who do I talk to?

[Yvonne Belisle]

I have never gone away and my contacts are in my sig and I am almost always on.

[The High Queen of Faerie]

hmm, interesting.

i read a book about peer counselling... and it wasn't one sided. i think i like that version better. ie, two people are paired up and talk to each other about their problems and get advice from the other person. :)

[Aine of the Fae]

I'm online a large portion of the day and am available to chat most anytime. If you really need to talk to someone, I'd also be willing to arrange a phone conversation, either you calling me or me calling you.

Faewyn, if you need some help getting this together, let me know!

[{Tigress}]

If you really need to talk to someone, I'd also be willing to arrange a phone conversation, either you calling me or me calling you.

Faewyn, if you need some help getting this together, let me know!

Same here on both counts. I would be willing to talk on the phone if needed, and yes Faewyn, please holler if you need any help settin' this up.

[The High Queen of Faerie]

oi wait a tick

so this is essentially like... counsellors at school/psychologists, yet online? so it's one sided? you blab and the other person is like "k k do this :D"?

i've just got meself a psychologist actually, so that's nice.

i've already said this, but i for one (prolly the only one) would benefit from a one-to-one-both-with-problems sort of programme, where both sides talk about their issues. that's just me though, am odd :D

[Aine of the Fae]

cerise, I think it could work either way! Either someone to just listen to you vent, or offer advice, or compare lives with!

[The High Queen of Faerie]

cerise, I think it could work either way! Either someone to just listen to you vent, or offer advice, or compare lives with!

i hope so! :D i really think more people might be able to benefit in that way ;)

[Faeawyn]

oi wait a tick

so this is essentially like... counsellors at school/psychologists, yet online? so it's one sided? you blab and the other person is like "k k do this :D"?

i've just got meself a psychologist actually, so that's nice.

i've already said this, but i for one (prolly the only one) would benefit from a one-to-one-both-with-problems sort of programme, where both sides talk about their issues. that's just me though, am odd :D
I think that sometimes, people just need someone to talk to, who will listen, give advice and cares about them. This community is all about reaching out to others....teaching, learning, giving and receiving. I see people every day looking for someone to talk to....so this would basically be a forum where people would request someone to speak with, and a counselor might be paired up with them to become their friend and confident. Sometimes, when someone posts a problem.....they get bombarded with conflicting comments from different people and it can become confusing.
The only concerns I would have would be the responsibility placed on a peer counselor. We would have to find a way to help people, without making one person/counselor the sole resource for a person with a problem.....and yet not give them too many people with conflicting information either....:hmmmmm: :whatgives: Suggestions???

[The High Queen of Faerie]

I think that sometimes, people just need someone to talk to, who will listen, give advice and cares about them. This community is all about reaching out to others....teaching, learning, giving and receiving. I see people every day looking for someone to talk to....so this would basically be a forum where people would request someone to speak with, and a counselor might be paired up with them to become their friend and confident. Sometimes, when someone posts a problem.....they get bombarded with conflicting comments from different people and it can become confusing.
The only concerns I would have would be the responsibility placed on a peer counselor. We would have to find a way to help people, without making one person/counselor the sole resource for a person with a problem.....and yet not give them too many people with conflicting information either....:hmmmmm: :whatgives: Suggestions???


not particularly, especially since this is not my area of expertise :)

[Aine of the Fae]

I've been thinking about this quite a bit and thought of the following things:

1. Peer counselors should be fairly active members of the community, perhaps have a minimum number of posts, or been a member for so long or something or other.
2. Peer counselors should agree that anything said in any conversation is kept confidential. There would only be a few ethical exceptions to this which should be discussed among the peer counselors in private PMs.
3. Peer counselors may or may not be trained counselors and should state so. For example, I have training as a spiritual counselor and am legally able to offer pastoral counseling. I also have a great deal of life experience ranging from mental illness, to abuse, to single parenthood, teen pregnancy, marriage, step families, psychotic mothers......
4. Peer counselors are here to help, to listen and to offer advice if they have it. Don't attack them for doing so.
5. If a peer counselor feels they can't handle a situation, they should have someone they can contact (here at MW) to help them out, preferably other peer counselors.
6. Each peer counselor should have a list of resources, websites, phone numbers, etc (these can be a generic list for everyone, and each person could add to it for their area) that they can give to help people out.
7. Peer counselors should be assigned based on their areas of "expertise" or life experience. A man might know how to deal with a crisis pregnancy, but he wouldn't really know how someone in that situation feels!


Any other suggestions?

[{Tigress}]

i hope so! :D i really think more people might be able to benefit in that way ;)

For me, that has at times, come naturally. Someone has come to me with a problem and then we've become close enough that when I have a need, I feel I can turn to them.

[Faeawyn]

Great ideas Aine. We could have a sticky thread that had emergency hotlines listed, such as Domestic Abuse, Teen Pregnancy, Teen Runaways, etc.....

[The High Queen of Faerie]

For me, that has at times, come naturally. Someone has come to me with a problem and then we've become close enough that when I have a need, I feel I can turn to them.

sadly that's not happened for me :(

great ideas, aine of the fae :)

[Shanti]

Aine, great outline!! I'm not joining the group here. That much responsability scares the begeebers out of me at this point in time! But it sounds like a great idea!

[{Tigress}]

I've been thinking about this quite a bit and thought of the following things:

1. Peer counselors should be fairly active members of the community, perhaps have a minimum number of posts, or been a member for so long or something or other.
2. Peer counselors should agree that anything said in any conversation is kept confidential. There would only be a few ethical exceptions to this which should be discussed among the peer counselors in private PMs.
3. Peer counselors may or may not be trained counselors and should state so. For example, I have training as a spiritual counselor and am legally able to offer pastoral counseling. I also have a great deal of life experience ranging from mental illness, to abuse, to single parenthood, teen pregnancy, marriage, step families, psychotic mothers......
4. Peer counselors are here to help, to listen and to offer advice if they have it. Don't attack them for doing so.
5. If a peer counselor feels they can't handle a situation, they should have someone they can contact (here at MW) to help them out, preferably other peer counselors.
6. Each peer counselor should have a list of resources, websites, phone numbers, etc (these can be a generic list for everyone, and each person could add to it for their area) that they can give to help people out.
7. Peer counselors should be assigned based on their areas of "expertise" or life experience. A man might know how to deal with a crisis pregnancy, but he wouldn't really know how someone in that situation feels!


Any other suggestions?

All of those are excellent ideas, Aine!

The only other thing I could think of would be to make sure all of the peer counselors get to know each other or at least be introduced as it will be good to have a support group amongest ourselves to help with the emotional overload that can come with extensive counselling. A place to "dump" if you will, not violating confidentiality, but just some place or some people you can turn to unwind -- with people who are doing the same thing you are.

[violet rain]

I would love to be a peer counselor for MW, I think it is a very great idea because alot of people can feel like there alone sometimes and there is no one to talk to. But if anyone needs to talk or needs some help just pm me and I will try my best to help you :)

[Aine of the Fae]

So what are we thinking Faewyn, maybe get Mol to set up a Peer Counselor forum where people can come into request a match?

I'd suggest limiting the number of people a peer counselor works with to about 2 or 3 at a time, that way they don't feel overwhelmed.

[Faeawyn]

So what are we thinking Faewyn, maybe get Mol to set up a Peer Counselor forum where people can come into request a match?

I'd suggest limiting the number of people a peer counselor works with to about 2 or 3 at a time, that way they don't feel overwhelmed.
I agree. We could either set up peer teams that consist of different people from different ages and such....or just assign 2-3 counselors to a person. I think it's important that each "team" assigned to a person keep an open dialog between themselves so that they are providing a unified concensus of guidance and suggestions.

[Aine of the Fae]

I agree. We could either set up peer teams that consist of different people from different ages and such....or just assign 2-3 counselors to a person. I think it's important that each "team" assigned to a person keep an open dialog between themselves so that they are providing a unified concensus of guidance and suggestions.

Definitely! I think the idea of peer teams is great! Have people of different backgrounds and age groups on one team so there is a well-rounded approach to it. The team idea would also help the counselors get to know each other better so that we know how each person approaches life and advice and what to expect from each other.

[Faeawyn]

Exactly :)

[violet rain]

these are great ideas!!!! so how many people do we have so far that have volunteered?

[Faeawyn]

There would also have to be very strong established guidelines to protect MW and the peer counselors from crossing any lines. For example, a teen finds out she's pregnant.....there are just some places we shouldn't go.....We can point her in the direction of places where she can seek help, suggest she talk to her parents or a friend or family member....but how involved should we become in a situation like that?

[Aine of the Fae]

There would also have to be very strong established guidelines to protect MW and the peer counselors from crossing any lines. For example, a teen finds out she's pregnant.....there are just some places we shouldn't go.....We can point her in the direction of places where she can seek help, suggest she talk to her parents or a friend or family member....but how involved should we become in a situation like that?

In a situation like that I would point her first to her parents, or another adult she can trust in her area. Also help her find a list of resources in her area for pregnancy, adoption and counseling. I would also recommend not advising her to do anything or not do anything, but to strongly recommend telling her parents, because while we may be frightened of our parents... they tend to be more understanding than we think.... I know, I got pregnant at 19 and my parents handled it pretty well.

I think once we have a list of peer counselors, we such work things out in PM how we'll do things, some rules and guidelines for the protection of MW and ourselves, as well as those who need help.

[soilsigh aingeal]

Definitely! I think the idea of peer teams is great! Have people of different backgrounds and age groups on one team so there is a well-rounded approach to it. The team idea would also help the counselors get to know each other better so that we know how each person approaches life and advice and what to expect from each other.I was thinking the groups should consist of counselors from assorted time zones or different groups of people from the same time zone, depending on how things are sorted out... for example if there is a group for various categories like abuse, family problems, etc.


There would also have to be very strong established guidelines to protect MW and the peer counselors from crossing any lines. For example, a teen finds out she's pregnant.....there are just some places we shouldn't go.....We can point her in the direction of places where she can seek help, suggest she talk to her parents or a friend or family member....but how involved should we become in a situation like that?I'm thinking if we've got experience, maybe we could share our experience, never tell anyone what to do, if there are resourses for the situation, point them in the direction, don't make any decision for anyone else, personally, I wouldn't go as far as to say "well this is what I would do..." it may not be the best advice. As far as how far is too far, if you have to question it's probably not a good idea, but how about consulting a teammate?

[Faeawyn]

So then Aine sweetie pie...honey bunches....you wanna take this ball and run with it???

[Aine of the Fae]

I was thinking the groups should consist of counselors from assorted time zones or different groups of people from the same time zone, depending on how things are sorted out... for example if there is a group for various categories like abuse, family problems, etc.

I'm thinking if we've got experience, maybe we could share our experience, never tell anyone what to do, if there are resourses for the situation, point them in the direction, don't make any decision for anyone else, personally, I wouldn't go as far as to say "well this is what I would do..." it may not be the best advice. As far as how far is too far, if you have to question it's probably not a good idea, but how about consulting a teammate?

I'm going to sit down tonight and try to brainstorm various ideas and then in the morning I'll post and see what everyone thinks.

The time zone idea might just be a good one, but we'll have to see how many peer counselors we've got.

[Aine of the Fae]

So then Aine sweetie pie...honey bunches....you wanna take this ball and run with it???

Who me? I thought this was your thing Faeawyn?

[soilsigh aingeal]

Well I'm online during most of my work days and a lot of the time when I'm off too and I would love to help out!

[Faeawyn]

Who me? I thought this was your thing Faeawyn?
It was my idea to revamp the system, but I don't feel qualified to manage things. You and Soilsigh can put it together if you want. I just wanted to start the ball rolling :D

[Aine of the Fae]

It was my idea to revamp the system, but I don't feel qualified to manage things. You and Soilsigh can put it together if you want. I just wanted to start the ball rolling :D

Well you got the ball rolling alright... now my brain is working overtime trying to figure out how we can do this so that no one could possibly get in trouble and people could get the help they need, even if it's not from us.

[Dorchadas Síofra]

i'm around a lot. i am not trained in counseling, i am 18, but i've been through a lot and always have an ear if you need to vent or a shoulder that's good for crying.

[bshore]

I have a suggestion: You should have two separate counseling options, like life or crisis counseling, and pagan mentouring where people who want someone to talk to about their path. Just a thought since you seem to be getting excited about helping those with questions about things not dirrectly Pagan.

P.S. I would love someone to collaborate with on my studies. Maybe they could have a new member grouping where new students could help eachother out and share experiences as well as getting advice from the more experienced.

[Faeawyn]

I have a suggestion: You should have two separate counseling options, like life or crisis counseling, and pagan mentouring where people who want someone to talk to about their path. Just a thought since you seem to be getting excited about helping those with questions about things not dirrectly Pagan.

P.S. I would love someone to collaborate with on my studies. Maybe they could have a new member grouping where new students could help eachother out and share experiences as well as getting advice from the more experienced.
Something like this might best be managed in the Circle of Teaching forum, or perhaps under "Paths".

[Tzhebee]

Another thing you might want to list out would be "issues" that the councelors would not be willing to work with.

And about the time zone thing....maybe it's not the time zones themselves, but more of when people are typically online.

[{Tigress}]

Wow! So many excellent ideas! Aine, if you're gonna take the reins on this, let me know what I can do to help you out. I'm right with you on all your ideas, and like you, I want this to be done right if we're gonna do it -- this community is so big we'll need to make sure we've got everything organized so that we don't wind up causing more stress for those who come seeking help than they already had in their lives.

[RubyRose]

Sounds like an excellent idea. And no I'm not putting my hand up to offer my services, unfortunately. But I will say, I'm one of those people who needs someone just to listen to me and not judge or criticize.
Bendithion,
RubyRose

[Aine of the Fae]

I'm going to be out most of the day, but when I'm going to work on some ideas while I'm out. When I get back I'll post my ideas for input, and I'll PM Mol about it and see what he thinks.

I think we should start with "interviewing" possible peer counselors. I say interview so that we know whose available, what areas they have experience in, how often they are available, etc.

Then once we have a list, we'll divide it into peer teams of 3 people each. The teams will become mini-support groups for each other and will work together to help anyone who needs it.

Once the teams are ready, we should be able to go for it, provided we have Mol's ok :)

But even before then, I and several other people are available to just talk. You can rant, vent or whatever and I will try not to give advice unless you ask for it!

[{Tigress}]

Sounds good Aine. I'll be on most of the day, so I'll start contacting those who have shown an interest here and see about getting the "interview" process started.

Here's what I've got on the list to ask... if you have anything you'd like to add, holler if you're still around.

1. Experience.
2. Areas of expertise and areas you'd like to be invovled in.
3. Availabilty.
4. Contact information. For both those seeking help and Couselling peers.

Anything else you think needs to be added to this list?

[Aine of the Fae]

That sounds excellent Selene, about what I was thinking too. I can't think of anything to add to that! I don't think the interviews should be to weed people out as much as they are to get information!

Also, I think we should limit who can be a peer counselor to the following:

Must be an active poster at MysticWicks, a minimum of 100 posts and have been here for more than 1 month. We want people who are going to stick around for this. I know that life can somtimes happen, but unless it's a major thing, we should be here for the people who need us! Strong friendships and bonds can form out of something like this. We don't want dependency to occur, but we do want people to trust us and if they don't know if we're going to stick around, how can they trust us!

Must be available at least 1 day per week, and preferably more. When a person is having a problem, we shouldn't have to scramble to find someone to help.

[{Tigress}]

Excellent guidelines for Peers. I'll be sure to address that in the PMs. And yeah, I'm thinkin' the same thing as far as the questions go... not to weed people out, but simply to get their info so we can best help the community. I'll start firing off PMs shortly and will keep a running list of who I've contacted and who's responded.

[Valkie]

I've been thinking about this quite a bit and thought of the following things:

1. Peer counselors should be fairly active members of the community, perhaps have a minimum number of posts, or been a member for so long or something or other.
2. Peer counselors should agree that anything said in any conversation is kept confidential. There would only be a few ethical exceptions to this which should be discussed among the peer counselors in private PMs.
3. Peer counselors may or may not be trained counselors and should state so. For example, I have training as a spiritual counselor and am legally able to offer pastoral counseling. I also have a great deal of life experience ranging from mental illness, to abuse, to single parenthood, teen pregnancy, marriage, step families, psychotic mothers......
4. Peer counselors are here to help, to listen and to offer advice if they have it. Don't attack them for doing so.
5. If a peer counselor feels they can't handle a situation, they should have someone they can contact (here at MW) to help them out, preferably other peer counselors.
6. Each peer counselor should have a list of resources, websites, phone numbers, etc (these can be a generic list for everyone, and each person could add to it for their area) that they can give to help people out.
7. Peer counselors should be assigned based on their areas of "expertise" or life experience. A man might know how to deal with a crisis pregnancy, but he wouldn't really know how someone in that situation feels!


Any other suggestions?

Counselors should be paired. One as main, one as 'back up' for lack of a better term. It will also provide the counselor with another person who is familiar with the situation to offer advice.

Counselors should also path compatable.

I'd also like to volunteer. Goddess knows most of my posts on the board are giving advice anyways :T

[Faeawyn]

Counselors should be paired. One as main, one as 'back up' for lack of a better term. It will also provide the counselor with another person who is familiar with the situation to offer advice.

Counselors should also path compatable.
Actually, counselors will be teamed in groups of 3 or so I believe....

And as this will deal with primarily emotional/personal issues, rather than religious issues, I don't think path will play in to it. I think if someone wants to set up a mentoring program regarding paths, that should be something different than this.

[{Tigress}]

Okay, I've got a list of questions to ask potiental counselors and I'll be PMing those who have responded here, shortly. One thing I'd like to do, and could REALLY use everyone's help with, is getting a checklist of "issues" that people might come to us with. Here's the list we've come up with so far. Please help us add to it! What I'd like to eventually have is a checklist we use to determine who has experience with what, and can give that checklist to new counselors so they can just say "yes" or "no" and not have to try to come up with everything they've dealt with out of the blue.

mental abuse
physical abuse
rape
child molestation
alcoholic friends/family
drug abusing friends/family
self-mutilating friends/family
teen pregnancy
single parenting
marriage
step-families
divorce
mental illness coping
poly- relationships
bi- and homo-sexuality issues
"closet" issues
depression
long distance relationships
male/female communications
deviant sexual behavior
transgender issues
extra-marital affairs
drug addiction
alcohol addiction
self mutilation

I'm sure there's tons more we can add here, so please jump in with your suggestions!

[Morr]

i can do the thing for people with issues regarding sexuality..
im not talking about people PMing me to flame me about homosexuals(!!!!) im talking about people who are struggling with it or younger teens who arent sure..
im no expert, but i AM a lesbian, so i kinda know the experience and the feelings involved with coming out & realizing youre gay..

I'm also a legally ordained minister through the ULC, so i can provide all counselling services a minister can provide :lol:

[Yvonne Belisle]

I have delt with two people who were suicidal here at mystic wicks. Peer councilors have to realize we will get members who are in that state and may not be willing to go to a pro. We can only nudge them toward a pro so far we can't force them to pick up that phone. The registry can be a help toward that. Peer councilors should have access to an emergency number for the registry so we can have them call someone in an extream emergency.

Please note I am not asking or suggesting peer councilors have access to the registry just to the person in charge of it who can then contact the appropriate state or local services.

[Amethyst Rose]

I'm only 3 pages into this thread, but I'd like to sign up as a counselor. I'm not a professional counselor, but I am an empath and that has always made me a good and compassionate listener.

[Faeawyn]

Okay, I've got a list of questions to ask potiental counselors and I'll be PMing those who have responded here, shortly. One thing I'd like to do, and could REALLY use everyone's help with, is getting a checklist of "issues" that people might come to us with. Aine sent me her "interview", so I'll use her list and mine as a guideline to get us started. Please add to it! What I'd like to eventually have is a checklist we use to determine who has experience with what, and can give that checklist to new counselors so they can just say "yes" or "no" and not have to try to come up with everything they've dealt with out of the blue.

mental abuse
physical abuse
rape
child molestation
alcoholics
teen pregnancy
single parenting
marriage
step-families
divorce
mental illness coping
poly- relationships
bi- and homo-sexuality issues
"closet" issues
depression
long distance relationships
male/female communications
deviant sexual behavior
transgender issues
extra-marital affairs

I'm sure there's tons more we can add here, so please jump in with your suggestions!
drug addiction
alcohol addiction
self mutilation

[{Tigress}]

I have delt with two people who were suicidal here at mystic wicks. Peer councilors have to realize we will get members who are in that state and may not be willing to go to a pro. We can only nudge them toward a pro so far we can't force them to pick up that phone. The registry can be a help toward that. Peer councilors should have access to an emergency number for the registry so we can have them call someone in an extream emergency.

Please note I am not asking or suggesting peer councilors have access to the registry just to the person in charge of it who can then contact the appropriate state or local services.

Good idea. Thank you. :)

[{Tigress}]

drug addiction
alcohol addiction
self mutilation

Added. Thanks, Faeawyn.

[Aine of the Fae]

I have delt with two people who were suicidal here at mystic wicks. Peer councilors have to realize we will get members who are in that state and may not be willing to go to a pro. We can only nudge them toward a pro so far we can't force them to pick up that phone. The registry can be a help toward that. Peer councilors should have access to an emergency number for the registry so we can have them call someone in an extream emergency.

Please note I am not asking or suggesting peer councilors have access to the registry just to the person in charge of it who can then contact the appropriate state or local services.

I think that's one of the reasons we need this kind of program. If people realize they can trust us, they may be more willing to try to get help.

I'm in and out today, but tonight when I'm in for the night, I'll start seeing about putting together a state by state resource list, and we can get more specific on a case by case basis.

[{Tigress}]

I'm in and out today, but tonight when I'm in for the night, I'll start seeing about putting together a state by state resource list, and we can get more specific on a case by case basis.
I was on the same page! LOL If I get a chance after I get these PMs off, I'll start that list, so PM me when you get home and I'll tell you what I've found so far, if anything.

[Amethyst Rose]

Okay, I've got a list of questions to ask potiental counselors and I'll be PMing those who have responded here, shortly. One thing I'd like to do, and could REALLY use everyone's help with, is getting a checklist of "issues" that people might come to us with. Aine sent me her "interview", so I'll use her list and mine as a guideline to get us started. Please add to it! What I'd like to eventually have is a checklist we use to determine who has experience with what, and can give that checklist to new counselors so they can just say "yes" or "no" and not have to try to come up with everything they've dealt with out of the blue.

mental abuse
physical abuse
rape
child molestation
alcoholics
teen pregnancy
single parenting
marriage
step-families
divorce
mental illness coping
poly- relationships
bi- and homo-sexuality issues
"closet" issues
depression
long distance relationships
male/female communications
deviant sexual behavior
transgender issues
extra-marital affairs

I'm sure there's tons more we can add here, so please jump in with your suggestions!

How about postpartum depression? Or would that just go under general depression?

[{Tigress}]

How about postpartum depression? Or would that just go under general depression?

Sounds like a good one to me! I'll add that to the list and once we get ready to run with this thing I'll send out an updated checklist for y'all to go over again, with this and any other added suggestions we get between now and then.

[WandererInGray]

*smiles* Access to me is not a problem. (though I will point out that at this point I've got less than 50 members on the Registry :eek: so we may want to work too on getting more people to sign up for it) I will be more than willing to give out my cell phone number to the other Peer Councillors when we get this thing set up.

[{Tigress}]

Okay, I'm impressed! I've got 18 people on the list that I've sent out PMs to, and have already gotten responses from 8 of them! I'm really getting excited about this! :D

[Valkie]

Just an idea for counsel service... how about parental stress? Like helping to figure out ways to deal with kids if your stressed, new mom stress, adapting to a new parenting roll (think it would be really great for 1st time moms and dad's or people who's SOs have kids)

[Amethyst Rose]

Yup, I already suggested that in a pm and it'll be added :)

[Yvonne Belisle]

Just an idea for counsel service... how about parental stress? Like helping to figure out ways to deal with kids if your stressed, new mom stress, adapting to a new parenting roll (think it would be really great for 1st time moms and dad's or people who's SOs have kids)


There is a parent resourse thread in the family forum that lists things for each state. It is long but worth looking at.

[RubyRose]

Just an idea for counsel service... how about parental stress? Like helping to figure out ways to deal with kids if your stressed, new mom stress, adapting to a new parenting roll (think it would be really great for 1st time moms and dad's or people who's SOs have kids)

Or how about from another angle, children being stressed by parents. Hey it happens. Trust me.

[halfwaynowhere]

I love helping people work their problems out. I have had some basic conflict resolution training, and much more training from life. I would love to participate in a peer counseling program.

[Pan]

Oh, I'd love to do this. :)

I went to a week-long thing in school about being a peer counsellor, and I was a peer counsellor my junior and senior years of high school. It's been a little while, but it's still there.

[Valkie]

Or how about from another angle, children being stressed by parents. Hey it happens. Trust me.

:T ya, that too!!

[Raivynne]

I would love to do this. I used to be the one all my friends would come to with problems. I have personal experience in several of the categories listed, so I would love to help anyone possible. I'm online everyday and for most of the afternoon and all evening.

[Khuinaset]

Well...I don't think I'd be a very good counselor person...if anything I'll probably end up doing this sometime because I need someone to rant to a lot...but I wanted to say I think it's awesome that you're all so willing and helpful and kind :) would give karma to all of you, but I dun think I can poke half of you yet, and I'm out for today anyways...

(and what about education-caused stress? or is that something too minor? school is a large cause of stress/frustration for me...)

[{Tigress}]

Good idea sphinx, I'll add School to the list of issues. :)

[mol]

:) Great idea, folks! The Peer Counselors was a great group when it was really active. What do you all need from me? :D

[Aine of the Fae]

:) Great idea, folks! The Peer Counselors was a great group when it was really active. What do you all need from me? :D

We're still working out the details, I was gone all day yesterday, but I was thinking maybe have a special forum on the board for the peer counselors where we could post resource lists (we're coming up with lists of numbers for crisis intervention for each state) and where people could say "hey, I need someone to talk to." It wouldn't be for active posting, just requests and resource lists, so perhaps a sub-forum under Just Talk.

[{Tigress}]

:) Great idea, folks! The Peer Counselors was a great group when it was really active. What do you all need from me? :D

How about some direction? We've got about 15 people who have shown an interest in becoming Couselors so far. Where do we go from here?

I think we want to get the word out to as many as possible that there's a group of people available for them if they want to talk -- what's the best way to do this, do you think? And, it MIGHT be benefical to have a place the Peer Counselors could get together and talk privately -- there's a lot of emotions that build up doing this, and having a place to let off steam or just "dump" out of the lime-light might be helpful.

Not sure what else we'd want or need, but if you've got suggestions, we'd love to hear them! I think what we're really trying to do is just bring some focus to what many of us do all the time -- so anything that help us do that will be greatly appreciated.

[mol]

How about some direction? We've got about 15 people who have shown an interest in becoming Couselors so far. Where do we go from here?

I think we want to get the word out to as many as possible that there's a group of people available for them if they want to talk -- what's the best way to do this, do you think? And, it MIGHT be benefical to have a place the Peer Counselors could get together and talk privately -- there's a lot of emotions that build up doing this, and having a place to let off steam or just "dump" out of the lime-light might be helpful.

Not sure what else we'd want or need, but if you've got suggestions, we'd love to hear them! I think what we're really trying to do is just bring some focus to what many of us do all the time -- so anything that help us do that will be greatly appreciated.
Well, I can definitely provide a forum if one is needed. As for guidance....egads! I dont really know. The first program was put together by a few folks in the community and I never even had a hand in how it was setup or organized. :) So....I dunno! :p

[Aine of the Fae]

Well, I can definitely provide a forum if one is needed. As for guidance....egads! I dont really know. The first program was put together by a few folks in the community and I never even had a hand in how it was setup or organized. :) So....I dunno! :p

I think a Peer Counseling forum is definitely the way to go. That way we can post some guidelines for who can be a counselor, and how to request help. We can post resource lists and people can post a quick "I need someone to talk to" thread that won't get lost among everything else.

I'm working on a list of rules and guidelines that I'm going to go over with Selene and everyone else to see what they think.

[{Tigress}]

Well, I can definitely provide a forum if one is needed. As for guidance....egads! I dont really know. The first program was put together by a few folks in the community and I never even had a hand in how it was setup or organized. :) So....I dunno! :p

I guess we'll all learn this together, then huh? :toofless: Thanks for being so supportive of this! Once we're ready to run with this, we'll holler at ya about that forum.

[mol]

Sounds good, everyone!

[{Tigress}]

Just an update... Aine and I are going to get together later this evening and hash a bunch of stuff out. So, give us another day and we'll hopefully have some stuff put together. :D

[{Tigress}]

We're just about ready to get this thing off the ground!

Counselors, we'd like to get your help on getting a good list of Resources together. If each of you will look up the phone numbers and webpage links for the following agencies (or comparible ones for those not in the US) for your State, Providence, or Country, that will help us a lot. Here's the type of things we're looking for:

State welfare departments
State protective agencies
Crisis pregnancy hotlines and centers
Planned parenthood
Suicide prevention hotlines
Abuse hotlines

And anything else you think might be handy.

Once you get that done, please PM Aine of the Fae with you info as she will be compiling that list. We will have this information posted in the Forum as well, so it will be accessible to all.

We've decided to divide the counselors into small groups of about three counselors each. This does NOT mean all of you will be counseling the same people -- we will assign one counselor to each person who has a need. What this DOES mean is that you will have a core group of Peers YOU can turn to for help or venting or opinions. With a group this large (we have almost 20 counselors so far!), we felt it would be better to encourge close contact with a select few whom you can hopefully learn to rely on. :)

I will PMing you sometime today with the list of people in your group. We encourage you to get in contact with eachother and get to know eachother a bit before we open up the new Forum.

Aine will be posting a list of guidelines for people requesting help, as well as one for us counselors, so look for that to show up in here soon. (Don't you LOVE the way I volunteered you, Aine!) :D

Mol, you'll soon have a PM from me about the Forum. Thanks again for supporting us in this! :)

And thank each of YOU for volunteering your time and energy to help. I truly believe this can have a huge impact on our lovely MW community!

[mol]

Welp...here is your brand new forum. :)

[Faeawyn]

:clapping:

[Aine of the Fae]

yay!!!!

[mol]

If the front page description needs to be changed, pm me. :)

[Raydreamer]

had a thought...maybe someone with all the details could put up a thread of all the Counselors, that way the counselors will know eachother and the people needing help will know of them all too?

[Shanti]

had a thought...maybe someone with all the details could put up a thread of all the Counselors, that way the counselors will know eachother and the people needing help will know of them all too?
Good idea!!!!

A list so the couselors can find each other!!!

[Aine of the Fae]

You should be getting PMs with your team members names sometime today, if you haven't already!

[Shanti]

Cool Aine!!! :)

[Shanti]

How did ya match us up? By the info we gave?

[{Tigress}]

Yes Shanti... although you newbies haven't been matched up yet. lol

I tried to get as diverse of groups of people as I could together, so when you bounce ideas off eachother you'll have plenty of unique input and so that as a group you can help the greatest range of people.

[Shanti]

Yes Shanti... although you newbies haven't been matched up yet. lol

I tried to get as diverse of groups of people as I could together, so when you bounce ideas off eachother you'll have plenty of unique input and so that as a group you can help the greatest range of people.
Over 6k post and I still have 'newbie' hanging over my head.8O

[{Tigress}]

Over 6k post and I still have 'newbie' hanging over my head.8O

LMBO! Thanks for the laugh! I needed it today! :hugz: