Indigenous Counselling

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lGuidelines for delivery of culturally sensitive and flexible counselling for Indigenous carers Project Report by Louise Monahan and Chris Twining for the Carer Counselling Program, Carers Victoria Guidelines for the delivery of culturally sensitive and flexible counselling for Indigenous carers A project of Carers Victoria 2 Foreword Indigenous families and carers care for their frail elderly and those with disability, mental illness and a range of chronic illnesses and conditions. Very few Indigenous people identify as carers, however many have significant care responsibilities. Most are women and they are of all ages. Most care for more than one person, often for three or four generations of family members with care needs.…show more content…
The program has been operating for the last three years providing short-term telephone and face-to-face person centred counselling to people in a caring role. Within the program, carers are defined as people who provide unpaid care and support to family members or friends who have a chronic or acute condition, mental illness, disability, or who are frail and aged. In early 2005, Carers Victoria launched a report entitled ‘Be with us, Feel with us, Act with us: Counselling and Support for Indigenous Carers’. This report was the result of a 12 month project funded by DOHA, via the National Carer Counselling Program (NCCP). The project was carried out within the Carer Counselling Program by an Indigenous worker and Aboriginal Liaison project worker employed by Carers Victoria. The project aimed to explore the impact of caring on indigenous carers in terms of their emotional, physical, social and financial wellbeing and to identify more appropriate ways to provide support to Indigenous carers and their families. Carers Victoria felt it was extremely important to explore ways in which the CCP-Vic program could better meet the needs of Indigenous carers. Of specific concern for Carers Victoria, was Indigenous carers identification of their feelings of depression, grief and loss, anger, anxiety, fear and guilt as a result of their caring role. These carers also highlighted an increased sense of social isolation and the interrelated difficulties associated with the financial impact of caring. In May 2006 Carers Victoria was granted funding by the Office for Women, Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs on behalf of the Australian Government. This funding has been used to develop these specific guidelines for the delivery of flexible and culturally sensitive counselling to Indigenous carers. Carers Victoria believes that this opportunity
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