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July 23, 2021Catholic Charities recently launched a counseling program for older adults and their caregivers which is already yielding positive results in the community. This free program provides mental health and community support services in Middlesex County which includes individual, family, and/or group counseling services, comprehensive mental health screening, assistance with linkage to community support services, and resources to maximize participant’s overall wellbeing. Like all of Catholic Charities’ programs, special care is taken to provide services with dignity and respect.
The program has already shown great success in helping older adults handle life’s stressors especially, but not solely related to the Covid-19 pandemic. One individual in the program requested counseling because her adult son lost “everything” during the pandemic. This individual experienced increased anxiety because of her son’s situation and the difficulties he was facing.
Counseling with a Catholic Charities Master’s Level Licensed Clinician helped this mom to develop the skills she needed to take back control of her own life and she was able to begin setting healthy boundaries for herself with her son. She has begun to recognize her own strengths and resiliency which has led her to become more goal oriented. During a recent session with her therapist, she explained, “Coming here [for counseling] helped me…take care of myself. You were there and walked me through this whole time. I won’t let it [anxiety] take me down. I’m strong and everything is going to be okay.”
“Older adults and their caregivers face specific needs as they navigate life’s challenges. We are pleased to offer specialized mental health services to these individuals. Though the program is designed to be short term, typically 3 to 5 sessions, consumers may continue to work with their assigned clinician by transferring seamlessly into our comprehensive outpatient program offered in the same location,” said Catholic Charities Service Area Director Angela Orth.
Last year Catholic Charities expanded its' counseling service delivery to include the option to participate via telephone or through secure confidential video connection. Overall, Catholic Charities provided more than 39,000 hours of counseling in the Diocese of Metuchen last year. For more information about counseling for older adults and their caregivers, or to make a referral, please visit https://www.ccdom.org/middlesex-counseling or call 732-324-8200.