MIT Counselling School continues delivering for students and whānau during lockdown
Restrictions on face-to-face learning in Tāmaki Makaurau mean schools have had to find inventive solutions so students can gain the practical experience that is such an important part of our programmes.
An MIT School of Health and Counselling initiative not only solves this problem for learners, it also helps people in the community who need to talk through anxiety and issues caused by the uncertainty of ongoing lockdown.
The MIT Counselling Students Clinic helps Bachelor of Applied Counselling students build up their practicum hours through providing free online counselling sessions to anyone 16 years old or over in New Zealand.
So far, the clinic has seen 140 people make self-referrals, all of which have been allocated to 40 students.
Just as lockdown was announced for the region, the year two and three-degree students were due to begin annual practicum placements to fulfil 100 hours as part of their degree. The School of Health and Counselling came together with the institute’s marketing and legal teams to create a platform for self-referrals.
Lecturer Natalie Callard is thrilled with how the clinic is going, especially given that MIT counselling students are training for front-facing essential worker roles.
“When you hear the stories from the students who are participating, you realise that they're making a big difference already and they haven't yet graduated,” says Natalie. “I think the other thing is that we're trying to make the best out of a complex, difficult situation where we're
all having to learn new things all the time, but we're also still trying to practice safely and ethically.”
“This is a very good boost for our community but I do encourage the students to know that this is not a replacement for practicum. It's not a replacement for going to a place where you can learn from other counsellors and be involved in an agency or school. That real work-life experience is really
important. This is something to help our students get over the line.”
Student Julia Deihl (Ngāti Maniapoto) feels the clinic has been hugely successful – “I think without the system, I don't know how I would be meeting my hours right now.”
“At the moment I'm working with four clients,” says Julia. “Some of them are on their fifth, sixth session and I'm seeing a massive improvement. There's a lot of anxiety and a lot of depression right now. I think people are struggling with sitting in this uncertainty.”
Julia, who made the switch from working in the fashion industry in 2019, gains a huge amount of satisfaction from helping people. “Just getting to be on this journey with the client where they might come in and have things that they're trying to work through. I think just being on that journey
where you know after five or six sessions you can see the progress that we've developed.”
Fellow student Dion Laing (Ngāti Koata, Ngāti Toa) has had a similar experience with completing the practical component of his studies online. Previously, he worked in sales.
“Compared to what I was doing, this has been really rewarding - the fact that you can help listen and guide someone through a crucial part of their life,” says Dion. “After a few sessions, you can see the change happening, that they're able to draw on the strength that they have to
kind of alleviate the stress and change direction.”
Dion says initially there are barriers to people reaching out for help.
“Many people have that initial response to meeting someone for the first time, but I think most of it probably comes from the unknown.”
“It's good to have someone to act as a soundboard, to bounce ideas off of - any kind of talk therapy helps you make sense of what you're experiencing. And I think that alone can help liberate you and help you understand behaviour or why you are thinking that way.”
If you would like free and confidential counselling support, let us know by filling in the referral form here.
The MIT Counselling Student Clinic will remain open to receive referrals until the 26th of November 2021 – students will continue to support their clients over the break. They will accept new referrals from the 14th February 2022 when the online referral form will be available again.
Please note: You must currently reside within New Zealand to access this service. We can accept self-referrals if you are 16 years old or over.
Email: