Free Drop In’s Re-Start – 4th April 2022 The Kapiti Loss and Grief Centre, principal sponsor Kapiti Coast Funeral Home, is having a fresh start with a regular weekly free ‘Drop In’ day starting Monday 4th April at 11am.
With covid new normal of ‘living with’ this virus and the numbers now dropping substantially, we felt it was vital to give people the opportunity to come and get the support they needed again. Though we have operated on a one-on-one basis by appointment, we now feel it important to give people the opportunity now to just ‘Pop In’ to get this support help. This often extends to people popping in on behalf of a friend who they see is in need. This is therefore a chance for anyone to drop in free of any charge and have a look at what’s on offer.
The centre has resident counselling for those needing more help, for this, there is a charge. All other services are free and for the other services the centre operates simply on a Koha Basis. When you do drop-in, you will be greeted by one of the friendly experienced volunteers, they are trained ‘Companions’. Companions offer support for any kind of loss experienced, not just a loss from death. They offer a sympathetic listening ear, someone to sit with, have a cuppa and a chat. They can suggest helpful resources from the extensive range of books, brochures and other resources also free of charge to use.
Support groups – The Centre also runs free support groups every term. These groups are run on a programme developed by our Centre Manager, Sancia Duncan, who has a masters in Counselling. Sancia runs these support groups along with one of the volunteer Companions.
Training – The centre also runs training seminars each quarter both for the general community and, or Professional Development Seminars for health care professionals. Watch this space for advertising prior to these seminars, or contact the centre to get on our database to be emailed as each seminar becomes available.
Care for All – ‘Includes the client families looked after by Kapiti Coast Funeral Home, who are contacted by L&G for follow up care, but, this is not an exclusive offer for Kapiti Coast Funeral Home clients” says Andrew Malcolm, Funeral Home Managing Director and founder of Loss and Grief Centre. The centre is for anyone who has suffered loss of any kind here in Kapiti, and is free of charge! With families living locally and loss occurring in other parts of the country, it means we can look after the ongoing needs for all our community who experience loss here in Kapiti.
Kapiti Coast Funeral Home is situated just over the railway line, and the Loss and Grief Centre is situated in the ‘Old Mill’ Building across the road from the Funeral Home. This amazing facility is possible because of the underwriting of the Funeral Home to cover major expenses such as rent and power, with other donations needed to help keep the Charitable Trust able to offer these free services. Volunteers are also an amazing part of the success of this service, and couldn’t run without them.
Whether you need care or know someone who would benefit from this service, please feel free to ring 027 3557946 or just pop in on Monday between 11am and 1pm.
