Envision Counselling and Support Centre has announced a new program to help families in the Southeast.

The Family Intervention Program (FIP) will provide immediate support and crisis counselling to families experiencing a single or recurrent problem that is overwhelming or traumatic. The goal of the program is to strengthen the family unit by empowering the members to improve the quality of their personal and family lives. Counselling and support will be flexible and will work towards increasing the positive involvement and healthy interaction between parents/children and couples.  

Envision Counsellor Alana Clow says Envision recognized a gap in their services that this new program is meant to fill.

"It's a short-term crisis counselling program," says Clow. "We provide immediate assessment and support to families who are experiencing a problem that is overwhelming or traumatic for them."

The new program is already running in Estevan and will be launched in Weyburn later this month. FIP will be opening in Carlyle in the spring and will serve the surrounding rural areas.

Crisis counselling allows individuals and families to face the emotional pain of the crisis and move forward in healthy ways to cope with the stressful situation.

There are many situations that can lead to a crisis such as: high risk child or adolescent behaviours, marital/couple relationship breakdown, blending families, separation and divorce, or other traumatic events of situations. When a crisis occurs within a family it can cause confusion, frustration, change of behaviour of individual family members and feelings of hopelessness that can lead to family breakdown. Envision counsellors believe that it can also be an opportunity to explore family dynamics by focusing on strengths and abilities. By building on these, families can feel more connected and improve overall family function.

The Family Intervention Program is not to replace any existing programs in the Southeast, but rather to provide immediate assessment and support for the family and connect them to long-term supports when necessary.

All services are offered free of charge and those families that are interested in support from the Family Intervention Program may directly refer themselves to the program by calling Envision’s offices or contact one of the FIP counsellors through their website at www.envisioncounsellingcentre.com.