Mind, Body, and Soul is sponsored content.
New to CHVN's Mind, Body, and Soul segment, you can get to know Recovery of Hope and their staff with the information below.
Recovery of Hope is a counselling service with its head office in Winnipeg. They also have offices in Steinbach, Winkler, Portage la Prairie, and Altona.
"In all our offices we have a group of 18 counselling therapists. They are involved in doing a variety of different kinds of counselling therapy from individuals, to couples, and families," says Brad Unger, the Program Director at Recovery of Hope.
Unger has been with the centre for four years.
"I'm quite interested in the intersection of psychology and faith. I've benefitted personally from counselling therapy so I've always been motivated in making counselling therapy accessible and affordable."
Terry Warburton is the Clinical Director at Recovery of Hope. She's been with the centre for almost 20 years, starting off as a counsellor in the Winkler office.
"What I found in that work is what intrigued me and what I enjoyed so much was the one-on-ones and hearing how things are going for people. Plus, I enjoy finding ways to support and encourage families."
Warburton shares the company went through a big learning curve at the start of the pandemic, going from in-person sessions to online only.
"People aren't coming for counselling because of what they're identifying as things relating to the pandemic. But the situation we're living in is this big backdrop to the things that people are already struggling with which is making things so much more challenging."
She mentions how people struggling with anxiety, for example, are experiencing heightened anxiety.
For those who've never seen a counsellor before and believe now is the time to connect, the first step of making the call isn't easy.
"Making that call is really hard and it's also normal. One client took four years to call in. It's a vulnerable step," she says. Warburton wants people to know it's natural if calling in seems overwhelming.
When it comes to knowing when to go see a counsellor, Unger says he compares it to car maintenance.
"We don't necessarily always only want to take the car to the shop when things are breaking down. There is a lot of wisdom in regular maintenance and having a support team built in proactively, so we can get the support before there's a breakdown."
If someone has reached a crisis point, then immediate action to seeking help is encouraged.
"Have your mental health one part of your health team, like regular doctors' appointments," says Unger.
There are times when an opinion from family and friends can be detrimental rather than healing.
"The reality is we all need support and we all need to feel listened to. Sometimes we can get that within our social circles and families and sometimes we actually need to get outside of that in order to talk about some things and process things," says Warburton.
When people only see the bigger picture and can't find themselves in it, a change in perspective, or recentering as Warburton calls it, is important.
"We can be so close to our own experiences emotionally that we don't have perspective. Sitting with someone else can help provide that for us."
Recovery of Hope is a Christian counselling centre and available to individuals, families, and couples looking for counselling.