Catholic Charities’ counseling effort were featured in a recent Tennessee Register article. The article focused on the value of counseling given the number of crises that have struck Middle Tennessee in the last 12 months.
Here is just part of the article:
Responding to the unprecedented events of the past year — a global pandemic, a deadly tornado, and the Dec. 25 downtown explosion — has kept Catholic Charities counselors busier than ever.
“We’ve had a lot of people reach out who have not had counseling before,” said Kim Morris, LCSW, Clinical Services Director at Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Nashville. “We’re a safe place for people to talk about what they’re going through. We meet clients where they are.”
Prompted by the stressors of the past year, especially the collective challenges of COVID-19, more people have begun to be open about their mental health. “To ask for help is becoming seen more as a sign of strength instead of weakness,” Morris said, who has worked with Catholic Charities for 16 years.
“The current events have helped to normalize the fact that we all go through events in our lives that can feel very challenging or overwhelming,” said Morris. Having “a neutral party to partner with can help get us back on a path of stability, healing and success.”