by CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
BEACHBURG — Grief is more than mourning the loss of a loved one.
“Grief can be losing your relationship, losing your health or losing your job,” said Monique Yashinskie, administrator of the Robbie Dean Family Counselling Centre.
She was the guest speaker at the Beachburg Lions Club Monday night meeting. Ms. Yashinskie is the founder of the centre and Robbie Dean was her son who committed suicide in 2011 when he was 18 years old.
The centre provides a safe and trusted place to engage and coach families in distress and crisis with the goal of empowering positive growth through collaboration and co-operation.
Prior to speaking about grief, Ms. Yashinskie spoke briefly about the centre, noting that this is her third time as a guest speaker for the Lions Club, as there are updates.
She said the Lions Club continues to be huge supporters of the centre.
“The centre receives absolutely no government funding,” she said.
It exists because of the generosity of people and organizations who donate to the centre.
“I cannot express enough my gratitude,” Ms. Yashinskie said, adding, “because we would not be able to save lives like we’re doing now without your help.”
Discussing statistics, she noted 882 people have attended counselling sessions at the centre. Of those, 145 were high-risk suicidal, and out of those, they are all still alive today.
“We haven’t lost one yet,” Ms. Yashinskie said.
She noted OHIP does not cover mental health illness costs, she said, unless it’s a diagnosed illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar. If a person goes through trauma, is depressed, or has a lot of stress in their life or grieving, there is no health costs covered, she said. The average counselling session is about $140 an hour – a fee most people cannot afford.
However, Ms. Yashinskie stressed that all services at the Robbie Dean Family Counselling Centre are free.
Following the death of her son, she said walk-in clinics were needed, not a telephone call. If someone is going through a rough patch, they can go to the centre and talk to a person and there is no cost involved, she said.
“You talk to someone face to face, you share emotions with this person, and that’s what we did,” she said.
There are four clinics throughout Renfrew County – Eganville, every Monday; Renfrew, every Tuesday and Thursday; Pembroke, every Wednesday; Petawawa, every Friday.
“It’s a place where someone can come and talk to a mental health counsellor, right away, right off the bat,” Ms. Yashinskie said.
While the counselling sessions are person-to-person, she noted when the centre is closed throughout the night, people can call the crisis telephone line for Renfrew County, 1-866-996-0991. For youth, the phone number is 1-877-377-7775.
In 2016, with funding from the United Way, a grief program was added, because the centre became much more busier following the closure in 2014 of the Bereaved Families of Ontario – Pembroke chapter.
Ms. Yashinskie spoke to the United Way staff, explaining the centre had become busier with people suffering from grief. The United Way gave the centre enough money to operate for a year, she said.
There is a grief counsellor people can see at no cost, she said. The grief counsellor is at the Pembroke office each Wednesday.
“Seniors are really lacking support, especially when it comes to grief,” Ms. Yashinskie said.
When a senior loses a spouse, they can sometimes lose their way of life, especially if they cannot remain in their own home. When this happens, they will most likely move into a place that is not familiar to them and grief, for some seniors, is very complex and huge, she explained.
Ms. Yashinkskie noted the centre signed a partnership with the Pinewood Retirement Home where a grief counsellor goes in and sees the seniors in their home environment.
“It’s safe, it’s comfortable, and it’s very successful,” she said.
It was a three-month pilot program which finished earlier this month, and she’s hopeful the program can continue, not only at Pinewood Retirement Home, but other homes as well.
She is hoping for more funding from the United Way to operate grief counselling one day in Renfrew and in Pembroke.
Ms. Yashinskie stressed that if anyone knows someone who is suffering, whether depressed or grieving something, or going through trauma, and needs to talk to someone, send them to the Robbie Dean Family Counselling Centre.
“We have helped 882 people,” she said.
For more information about the Robbie Dean centre, please check the website, www.rdfcc.ca or call 613-635-4714 ext. 110.
