Avia Collinder, Gleaner Writer

HEAD OF local counselling organisation Family Life Ministries (FLM), Dr Barry Davidson, has disclosed that depression among workers and the demand for counselling services have increased, especially in the wake of the most recent spate of redundancies.

The executive director of FLM, a centre with 35 counsellors headquartered in Kingston, and which runs an employee-assistance programme in addition to counselling services in three parish capitals, also indicates that men - who make up 40 per cent of FLM clients - have been especially affected by the loss of their jobs.

According to Dr Davidson , "Our experience at Family Life Ministries is that our client load has increased. Loss impacts people emotionally and causes them to do things that they would not normally do. Depression is a normal response. They may also resort to drinking and other substance abuse."

Data released by the counselling centre indicate that between the months of March and December last year, requests for counselling increased - in all centres.

Bounced cheque

FLM has been seeing, since late last year, many more clients who were unable to pay their bills or who had paid with bounced cheques, but overall there was an increase in demand for the services.

Yvonne Foster, counselling psychologist with FLM and administrator of the organisation's employee assistance programme (EAP) - a service offered to local companies - said, "I have known no worker who has refused counselling."

The EAP is offered to 10 companies who have contracted its services counselling, while another 50-plus call for seminars and counselling on an ad hoc basis.

"Persons do want counselling and the timing of it is important. Counselling should be done before you send off workers. Some companies are late in getting the programme in and people miss it because they are already terminated," Foster stated.

Redirecting one's life

Counselling, she said, is not only about emotional help and dealing with disappointments, but also about redirecting one's life and researching options. Workers also get advice on how to be honest with their family members about the loss of employment.

According to Foster, "Men fear talking to their families because they feel they have failed. They do not want to tell their family money is going to be short and there are some things they will have to do without. Men tend to be regarded as chief providers. They are devastated when they are laid off. Many do not have other skills."

According to Foster, once a man does not have a job his self-esteem plummets and that translates into depression, anger with the world, and he may even blame God. "Sometimes it leads to a little violence. A personality change takes place because of low self-esteem," the counsellor said.

Foster says women are also devastated by redundancy, but they tend to move faster in trying to recover because they often have mouths to feed. Women, she says, also tend to accept any job to put food on the table, but "Men find it harder to accept any job."

Avia.ustanny@gleanerjm.com