Residents invited to free counselling sessions in Montclair
The counselling sessions are held at 191 Wood Road, Woodlands, and the next session will be held on Sunday, from 09:00.
THANKFUL to have been able to help many grieving residents in the Montclair community, trauma counsellor, Claudine Thomas, is hoping that more people join the free sessions to learn, grow and heal.
Thomas began her community-based counselling programme, called Awaken, for children, youth and adults, in the Montclair community earlier this month.
Also read: Here’s how children can get free counselling in Wentworth
The programme lends support to those who have suffered different types of trauma, and Thomas, who lives in Montclair, aims to change lives by helping residents to heal.
All support group sessions will be strictly confidential. Sessions will be held on Sundays. The next session will be held on November 26, at 191 Wood Road, Woodlands, from 09:00.
“Grief comes in three forms, which are death, relocation and divorce. There are five stages of getting through it. First is anger, followed by bargaining, denial, fear and acceptance. One of the common symptoms is hurt. Hurt people hurt other people.
“We need to know how to identify this in others and to listen to understand. If someone you know is facing the different stages of grief, be patient with them. Love is the key that opens the door to healing.
“When we are hurting, we turn to different forms of addiction, such as drugs, codependency, alcohol, mental, sexual and physical abuse, financial abuse and violence. If you identify these traits, then you should seek help before it’s too late. You are not alone. Everybody at some stage in their life faces grief.
“People need to stop being ashamed of what they are going through,” Thomas said.
For more information, contact Claudine Thomas on 079 778 7988.
For more Southlands Sun news, follow us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also follow us on Instagram.
