Belinda’s story

“I fell apart… when my children needed me most.”

“The early years for my four year old son and five year old daughter have been terribly traumatic. It just destroyed me as a parent too. At the beginning of 2009 I fell apart, which wasn’t helping my children when they needed me most.

I went to the doctor to get some anti-depressants. I’ve been depressed many times before and I had always gone on medication - but I had never dealt with the real issues dragging me down. This time, I couldn’t see a way of coming back. My daughter’s kinder teacher recognised I was struggling and encouraged me to seek support from Centacare’s Counselling Service.

When I started counselling, our lives were a mess, the children were a mess and I couldn’t see our lives getting better. I felt there was no one in the community I trusted. No one in my family were there for me in the way I needed them. I just couldn’t trust anyone.”

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“Now I wake up happy and so do my children – and that’s what counts.”

“Coming to Counselling just changed everything - our whole future. I’m not just getting over the depression. I’m getting through it. I want my children to be happy so I’ve made myself happy – thanks to the support of my counsellor and everyone in the Neighbourhood Centre. We enjoy life now.

As well as talking through everything in counselling, I also did a fantastic parenting course provided by Centacare. It opened up so many different ways of parenting for me as a single Mum.

You know, I had lived here for six years and I had never realised there were good people around me because I had always walked with my head down. But now, I’ve made friends at the kinder and Neighbourhood Centre. I’ve started feeling I could trust people again.

This year feels like a new beginning. My little girl is doing another year of kinder so she has more time to recover and become stronger in herself before starting school. She and her brother are really happy playing at kinder. I am so proud my seventeen year old daughter has just started university. She’s the first one in our family that’s achieved anything like that. I’m studying aged care through the Neighbourhood Centre and I’m hoping when the kids go to school, I can get a job in aged care and help others.

I just can’t believe how far we’ve come in a year.”

Please help us expand counselling and support services

Our community based Early Intervention Counselling and Therapy Service has proved vital in supporting vulnerable families like Belinda’s who are living on the outskirts of Geelong. By locating our service in the Rosewall Neighbourhood Centre together with kindergarten, playgroup and other community programs, we are ensuring disadvantaged families can easily access our services.

Name, through your contribution, you can help Centacare expand much needed counselling and support services to families across Melbourne and Geelong. We are opening a new office in Werribee and we hope to have the capacity to open another Counselling Service soon to meet the ever increasing demand. Please take a moment to make your tax deductible donation
through completing this coupon and returning it to us, calling us on 9287 5555 or giving online at www.centacaremelbourne.org

With thanks for your continuing support and wishing you and your family a safe and happy Easter filled with a sense of new life,

Fr Joe Caddy
Chief Executive Officer

PS Please remember your support through a donation or bequest can enable us to reduce the impact of trauma for so many more families.

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