By Janet Conner-Knox, The Wilson Daily Times, N.C.
Aug. 5–Wesley Shelter has expanded its services to include outpatient mental health therapy.
The name of the new clinic is Wesley Family Counseling Center, located at 106 E. Vance St.
Janet Hesmer, executive director, said a mental health clinic is a natural progression for the Wesley Shelter.
“We provide those services already to battered women and their children with the trauma that they have faced, she said. “But now we have opened our doors to the general public, except for abusers. Mental Health therapy was a need in our community that we could not ignore.”
The counseling center does not give services to abusers for the protection of abused people who are being helped there, but they do see male patients.
Wesley Family Counseling Center has been open since January, and Pat Peykar, therapist for the shelter, said it’s been very busy.
Peykar said that since mental health reform and the closing of Wilson-Greene Mental Health Center, there was no backup mental health services for Wesley Shelter.
Shelter staff workers cooperate closely with the Department of Social Services, Wilson Police Department, the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office and the Wilson County Health Department.
Peykar said all of the agencies were asking the same question: “Where do we refer people who need mental health services?”
So Peykar said the staff at Wesley Shelter decided it ought to offer mental health services.
But Peykar said a person does not have to be in need of shelter to come there for mental health services because the shelter is providing outpatient services, too.
“People are coming in who are suffering through these harsh economic times,” said Peykar. “We see people who are suffering with depression, and we are starting to see a lot of war veterans from Iraq.”
She also said a lot of parental counseling is done there at the center.
“There is no manual for a parent to tell them the dos and don’ts of good parenting — parenting is a tough job,” Peykar said. “And lots of times parents need help and support as they try to parent.”
The center also provides substance abuse services and works with adolescents, children and couples.
Peykar said an awful lot of people come in to see her through their employee assistance program for work-related stress.
“There are a lot of people that work 60-hour work weeks and don’t have time for their families,” she said. “Sometimes it (therapy) is very short term and solution focused. We’re not always dealing with people who need to be hospitalized and are severely mentally ill.”
A number of families left behind after a family member has been deployed to Iraq suffer from stress and need counseling. Wesley Family Center is starting a support group called Homeland Heros. Peykar said there are a number of Homeland Hero groups in other parts of the state and country.
Peykar said she hopes people will understand that anyone might need mental health help at some time in their lives and wishes there was not the term “mental health” but that everyone thought of it as just health.
She said there is no separation of the mind and body — anxiety and depression affect the whole body.
“If you have high blood pressure or depression, they are both treatable, and it’s all health,” said Peykar. “The only people that divorce the brain from the body are insurance companies.”
All income levels are accepted at the center. There is a sliding fee for people without insurance. Insurance plans are also taken at the center, including Tri-care, which is the military health insurance, and Medicaid.
The new medical center has plans to grow.
There is a therapeutic playroom already set up for children, but soon there will be a child therapist also, and an observation window will be put in the playroom.
There are plans to hire a family therapist.
Also coming soon will be a support group for parents called Parents Anonymous, where parents will get to share parenting information.
The Mental Health Association of Wilson will be moving its offices to Wesley Shelter in the fall.
“We don’t want the people of Wilson to suffer,” said Hesmer.
“We want them to be healthy.”
[email protected] — 265-7847
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact Wesley Family Counseling Center for services they provide: call 252-291-2344
Web site: www.wesleyshelter.org
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