Seniors helping seniors – that’s the idea behind the Senior Peer Counselling Program (SPCP).
The Burnaby Seniors Outreach Services Society (BSOSS) program welcomes volunteers 55 and older to counsel clients in need of help through a rough patch in their lives. The volunteers go through a 54-hour training program to help them support their clients, whom they typically see for six to eight hour-long sessions.
Program director Jude Weir said the training prepares volunteers to lead and focus sessions so clients can better break down their issues and make a plan to alleviate them.
Seniors can come directly to BSOSS for help or can be referred by other organizations, Weir explained. Clients often need help managing anxiety and depression or coming to terms with a medical diagnosis, she said.
The program fills a void between well-meaning advice from an untrained friend and professional mental health care, Weir said.
“We’re sort of the in-between. We’re more than a friendly visitor, but we’re not dealing with major mental health issues.”
Last year, 120 clients were counselled by 26 volunteers, Weir said.
But the program is looking to recruit more seniors to become volunteer counsellors, she said.
She said those best suited for the role are “people who tend to be an advocate for others, people who are good listeners, the folks who others come to or who others are comfortable with fairly quickly.”
The peer counselling program does more than help its clients, Weir said it gives a purpose to seniors still looking to make an impact in their later years.
“One of the problems in our society is as we get older, there's an attitude that we don't have much to give and we're not asked to do a lot,” she said.
The SPCP asks volunteers to give about an hour a week of their time and to commit to at least a year. Training is free.
Anyone interested in the program can contact Jude Weir at 604-291-2258 or visit BSOSS.org.
