Careline centre expands its community outreach
Residents who require counselling are encouraged to visit the new Careline Crisis office in Hillcrest.
CARELINE Crisis and Trauma Centre has once again opened its doors to the community, this time at its new office, situated 1 Commonage Road, Hillcrest.
The office is situated in a central location, making it more convenient for people from the rural communities to visit the centre.
Established almost two decades ago, the centre has various offices and embarks on numerous self-sustaining projects. The Halfway House is situated at 36 Assagay Road, the crisis centre headoffice is based at 36 Assagay Road, Assagay, Hillcrest, the crisis centre sub-office at 1 Commonage Road, the crisis centre at the police station at 1 Paddock Road (Hillcrest Police Station), and the teen centre at Unit 38, Hillcrest Village Centre, Margaret Street.
The Halfway House is a residential programme for recovering substance abusers who have been through rehabilitation, and a variety of counselling services are offered at the different offices.
Funds raised from the self-sustaining projects, which involve printing, fudge-making and woodwork, are invested back into the centre.
Hasseena Chirkut, crisis coordinator, said, “We offer counselling for teenagers, families, those with substance abuse problems, trauma debriefing, marriage or relationship issues and stress and domestic violence referrals. Many people feel that after one counselling session all their problems will be sorted out. People are not sure where to go for help and what to do. Many times the practical steps are difficult to go through, hence make people skeptical about counselling.
“If someone needs assistance, they will have to call our help desk to make an appointment or visit our offices. If they are in a crisis situation, then we are called out by the respective emergency personnel. We have a team of trained members who include social workers, counsellors, facilitators and legal assistance representatives, and we offer a 24-hour crisis call-out team.”
In regards to some of the community projects hosted by the centre, Chirkut added, “We support about 300 orphaned and vulnerable children with the Molweni Feeding scheme by feeding them twice a week. We also try to assist children with school uniforms, stationery and food. We also partner with the SAPS to host Careline awareness talks at different schools in the Pinetown and upper Highway area on substance abuse, and we do drug testing at schools and companies.”
For more information on the centre or to receive counselling, call 031 765 1314, 031 765 1587 or 084 791 2477.
