The Counsellor is focused on a woman's goals, working with her to meet her immediate needs and helping her to discover, enhance and use her own strengths to accomplish her personal plans. By identifying a woman's goals, the Counsellor can make a broad goal more manageable by identifying steps towards the goal. Please review the counselling brochure for additional information.

Counselling is a free and confidential service that:

• assists women to use internal and external resources in order to make long term changes in their lives;
• develops the power of the individual by discovering and building upon the strengths of each woman; and
• supports women to accomplish their goals for economic and emotional independence.

Women who are willing to change their situation or perspective are welcome to the Counselling Service by self-referral. If you would like more information on how Counselling can help, please send an e-mail to the SWC Counsellor.

Identifying Goals

Women come to the Centre to see the Counsellor in an hour long session to talk about what changes they would like to make in their lives. After an intake interview, women will come to see the Counsellor as needed to get support to achieve their goals. Goals can be very broad, such as the following:

• Leaving an abusive partner
• Becoming more self-sufficient
• Building effective relationships with family members
• Developing coping skills and personal power
• Reducing isolation and building a support network

Working Towards Goals

The Counsellor works with a woman to make a broad goal more manageable by identifying small steps for accomplishment. She also assists a woman to explore new possibilities and get connected to other available resources to achieve her ultimate goal. Examples of these small steps could be (but not limited to) any of the following:

• Searching for a job/Getting a Job
• Re-establishing contact with a family member
• Calling a lawyer/Legal Aid
• Registering for workshops

One-to-One Mentoring Programs

One-to-One Mentoring Programs are for women in life transition who are working towards specific goals. Supportive Mentors assist women to increase their support system, to break their isolation, and to be more in charge of their lives. Literacy/English Conversation Mentors assist women to improve their writing, reading and numeric skills. For more detailed information, view the One-to-One flyer for Women Seeking Support.

The Counsellor will match a participant with a trained volunteer to receive support in an informal setting within a six-month or one-year contract. Download and print the Application for Women Seeking Support if you are interested in being matched with a mentor. Send the completed application form to the attention of the Counsellor at Scarborough Women's Centre. To help you prepare for your first appointment with the Counsellor, take some time to think about what you want to accomplish with her help.

Scarborough Women's Centre also offers courses and workshops on women's issues. The Counsellor assists women to choose appropriate workshops. For information on available workshops offered by the Centre, please visit the Workshops page.

Cancellation Policy

If you need to cancel your appointment, please give at least 24 hours notice prior to your appointment. If possible, please provide more notice as other women are waiting for appointments. Please note that if you miss a maximum of three consecutive appointments without reasonable cause we will need to give priority to other clients.