This article was originally published on December 3, 2022 in The Rome News Tribune
By Severo Avila
Rome’s homeless population battles many things, not the least of which is…obviously homelessness. They battle transportation issues, employment issues and the stigma of being homeless.
Those are the the things we see. But like everyone else, homeless people also face mental health issues and oftentimes those can be as much of a setback as the other problems they face.
But in its efforts to reach and care for the entire individual, the Davies Homeless Shelters have implemented a new counseling program, offering free, confidential counseling sessions to its guests.
The shelters offer now offer professional individual and group counseling weekly for guests at both the Men’s Shelter and Women’s Shelter, thanks to grants from the Community Foundation for Greater Rome and the Junior Service League of Rome.
“This started about a year ago when our director of operations, Brian Harris, became a licensed associate professional counselor,” said Blake Dean, Communications & Community Outreach Manager for the shelters. “In the simplest terms it’s a way for us to meet the needs of the guests that come into the shelter. Our guests have a variety of needs, not just homlesseness. Some have past trauma or a number of issues they’re facing and need support with their mental health struggles.”
Over the last year, Harris, has provided weekly individual counseling to more than 40 guests at the shelters entirely free of charge. Additionally, he and lead case manager, Alex Callahan, have facilitated weekly group counseling sessions every week.
For many guests at the shelters, mental health is a huge obstacle to success.
“We don’t just get to respond and react to the needs of our neighbors, but we get to move constructively and proactively toward success,” Dean said. “We’re not just waiting for a crisis to happen. We help them grow and rebuild. This is a great way for us to do that.”
The group sessions take place in either shelter and individual counseling happens on the property of the women’s house. It’s completely confidential. Dean said many of their guests simply don’t have the resources to afford professional counseling or the transportation needed to attend counseling. This is their way of combating that.
Harris holds a Master of Arts Degree in Psychology from the University of West Georgia and earned state licensure last year to begin meeting with clients as an Associate Professional Counselor. Callahan holds a Master of Arts Degree in Psychology from the University of West Georgia.
The counseling sessions offer guests the opportunity to process not just homelessness but past trauma, interpersonal relationships, disability, financial and food insecurity and substance abuse struggles among other things.
Harris said as with the population at large, the guests at the Davies Shelters share the same eagerness to reluctance ratio when it comes to therapy.
“Some are very eager to get into therapy and do some work while others are resistant,” he said. “The case managers will make recommendations or referrals that someone come to see me. Once we actually get into the sessions many of them start to feel better about it. Some people have never been to therapy before and just have no idea what it’s about.”
He said it’s important to note that many who have been resistant at the outside, have let their guard down and embraced the sessions.
What he’s seeing, generally, is that there are aspects of homelessness that tie in with mental health.
“Typically we think of depression as an internal set of symptoms,” he said. “Homelessness is coming from the outside. It can affect someone’s confidence and their self esteem. Homelessness is a tough thing to bounce back from. It can amplify issues that are already there.”
Overall, Harris said, it’s safe to say that the counseling program has seen some success stories. He’s especially encouraged when shelter guests who have taken advantage of the therapy opportunities have moved on to more independent living and still return to therapy, finding value in the experience.
“This is all sort of working to a holistic approach to people getting back on their feet in one way or another,” he said. “Instead of just getting a job or a house which doesn’t necessarily solve the problem. For some people there’s more missing. We’re asking ourselves how can we be more helpful in a longer lasting way. One way is if we can work through some of these patterns.”
The most important thing about the program, Harris said, is accessibility.
“It feels important to me to bring professional counseling to people who may not have access to it,” he said. “This might be their first exposure to what counseling is. That’s the reward part for me. There’s a need for it and we get it to offer it to them.”