Stacey has been trying to support her son James who has gone through years of ongoing bullying in the school playground. Feeling frustrated with the response from the school and concerned about James’ mental health, Stacey looked into finding a psychologist for him. She reached out for help locally, however they were put on an 8-month wait list for a psychologist appointment.
After seeing an ad for the Dolly’s Dream Support Line, Stacey gave them a call. The Dolly’s Dream counsellor had two sessions with both Stacey and James, and then set up individual sessions with both of them. Due to feeling more comfortable communicating over text, James initially had a session via text message. This is one of the ways that the counsellors at the Dolly’s Dream Support Line can conduct their counselling sessions, especially initially. James then felt comfortable to have a session over the phone.
The Dolly’s Dream counsellor worked with James to talk through some of his fears, his feelings about protection, his reactions of being overly cautious and hyperaware at school. The counsellor used a solutions focussed therapeutic approach to help James with describing the energy of his feelings. The counsellor re-affirmed his strengths with a goal to learn self-defence, resilience by persevering and facing problems head-on to meet goals.
The Dolly’s Dream counselling sessions are ongoing to help James with his insight into his own resilience. He has already said that he is looking forward to his next session.
Stacey told the counsellor after the second session, “It is a relief to go to work not worrying about the bullying and knowing that things are okay. I was feeling so frustrated before but I am starting to get better”.
Call or text 0488 881 033 to connect with a trained counsellor. No referral is needed, and the line is open to anyone who needs support. The line operates Monday to Friday from 6am to 10pm. If the team are on other calls, please leave a message and your call will be returned.