Location
WWILD-SVP Association has two counsellors who work in Wooloowin most of the time. Also one counsellor works in Logan at Youth and Family Services on Mondays, and the other counsellor works in Caboolture at Home Life on Thursdays.
Referral Process
Referrals can be made by anyone – the person themselves, a family member, worker or supporter. Please ring WWILD talk to a WWILD worker who will take the referral, which is talked about at our team meeting. The worker will contact the person to talk about what happens next.
About our counsellors
Jill Olver has worked as a counsellor and trainer at WWILD in the Sexual Violence Prevention Service since 2008. The focus of her work is building the existing strengths of people with intellectual disability to decrease their vulnerability and/or deal with the effects of trauma and sexual assault in their lives. Jill takes an eclectic approach that covers psychology, Narrative Therapy, Sand-tray and Art Therapy. Prior to working at WWILD Jill worked counselling across rural and regional Queensland, in the Sexual Assault Service in Canberra, Indigenous communities and in refugee camps in Zimbabwe. Jill has university qualifications in Psychology and Counselling.
Robyn Evans has worked as a sexual assault counsellor for adults and children for 20 years, before coming to WWILD in 2012. Prior to working at WWILD she had extensive experience working in Indigenous communities and in sexual assault services in rural and urban Victoria, and worked as a Violence Prevention Worker at Legal Aid Queensland. She works with adults and young people with intellectual disabilities in processing their abuse experiences and working towards healing. Robyn has university qualifications in Social Welfare and Women’s Studies.
About our counselling
• We see the person – not their disability.
• We do not define the person by their sexual abuse/trauma.
• We believe the client is the expert in their own life (not the counsellor).
• We understand we need to take time – to build rapport, assess, identify and work together on goals.
• We adjust our communication style – is our job to be easy to understand, not the client’s job to understand us.
• We are careful about suggestibility and masking, the need to avoid jargon and asking closed questions.
• We can work with the effects of trauma, without referring to the event itself.
• We normalise effects and acknowledge coping strategies.
• We seek to empower the client by identifying choices and options.
• We aim to improve the client’s self-image and self-protection strategies.
• We use a range of creative strategies to concretise abstract concepts such as feelings and enable externalisation.
How to prepare someone for counselling
Read ‘What is Counselling?’ page with the person for more information.
Explain to the person that:
It’s their choice to come to see us or not, and listen to their answer.
They do not have to tell the story of what happened.
Counselling is about helping to understand and deal with feelings, and learn ways to feel better and more in control.
They can bring someone into the counselling room with them if they want to, it is up to them.
If they are not sure they can visit WWILD first, to meet us before they make up their mind.
Call to make an appointment or referral. Counselling at WWILD is free.