Counseling FAQ

Visit our Website Past Newsletters Counseling FAQ May 3, 2011 This past month I had the privilege to present an employee orientation to a group of extremely courteous men. I have oriented employees on the benefits of their EAP hundreds of times, but somehow presenting the topic of counseling to a group of men usually makes me slightly nervous. Perhaps it’s because my Dad overdid the “Men don’t cry or have emotion” routine, or maybe it’s because I have presented to a group of men who literally laughed as soon as I said counseling. Either way, I always get a bit nervous. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself with an entirely different experience this month. Every gentleman gave me their full attention, asked questions, and even shared their own experiences with MINES. I was in awe of their openness and kindness. I know my perception is largely based on what I have experienced in my life but this event truly warmed my heart. Getting anyone to understand the benefit and process of counseling isn’t always easy unless they have experienced it for themselves. The theme for May is “Mental Health Matters,” and our first communication is a quick guide to understanding what counseling is and how it can be used. Read more on this topic here… Britney Kirsch Account Manager

The Children of Haiti

What has filled our eyes over the last 10 days of the Haitian people’s life challenges has been mind boggling. The fact that over ½ the buildings and homes were destroyed, over 150,000 people have died, and many more are buried in the rubble is just hard to believe. The assistance of so many countries and people from around the world is very touching. I thank everyone for their giving and caring.

But what about the children?

My wife’s and my church supports 3 orphanages in Haiti. Haiti had a huge number of unwanted and parentless children due to a long list of cultural and economic reasons, BEFORE the earthquake. Now after this horrific event, there are so many more children that need homes. Estimates are as high as 1 million children have lost one or both parents.

As I write this, the national news just announced they found today a woman alive after 15 days!!

Our pastor took 12 seminary students to Haiti to tour the church’s orphanages and teach them about dealing with the poor. They arrived 1 day before the earthquake. It took them almost a week to get home to the US via boats, motorcycles, walking, buses, and finally a plane out of the Dominican Republic. We were all blessed that our pastor, the seminary students, and all the children and care givers at our orphanages were not badly injured. There were some broken bones and some bruises, but overall we were very, very lucky.

But what about he children?

The 3 orphanages were badly damaged. It seems all the hard work and building and support that we have provided over the last 3 years was gone. But, this is not true. They still have each other. All of these children are a family at each of the orphanages, something they did not have prior to our church’s involvement. The goal of the aid workers has to be to get the families back to together.

But what about the Care Givers?

Compassion Fatigue is a very real issue for all the workers that are in Haiti trying to help the Haitians. Compassion Fatigue involves empathically connecting people going through the emotions of trauma, resulting in experiencing those emotions yourself.

MINES and Associates has programs that help people who deal with trauma on a daily basis such as doctors, nurses, police officers, and fire fighters to name just a few.

MINES and Associates also has EAP programs that provide counseling and therapy to help daily care
givers of our friends, family and loved ones.

To learn more about compassion fatigue and other behavioral issues, please check out our web site at http://www.minesandassociates.com for more information.