 |
||||||||
 |
MEMO BLOG | |
Memo Calendar | Memo Pad | Business Memos | Loaves & Fishes | Letters | Home |
JESSE BOPP
FOR THE MID-COUNTY MEMO
 |
| Sister Valeria Lewandoski counseling one of her clients at The Grotto Counseling Center at 8840 N.E. Skidmore St. |
| PHOTO SUBMITTED BY THE GROTTO |
“We’re kind of like a well-kept secret,” said Sister Valeria Lewandoski, director of the center. “People often don’t realize we’re here unless they are visiting The Grotto.”
Started in 1992, the counseling center was established with the desire to continue the mission of The Grotto in reaching out to the community and fulfilling its needs.
“The thought was people who need help may not be able to afford a private practitioner,” she said. “So the counseling center was created.”
The center strives to reflect the ecumenical focus of The Grotto itself while maintaining a respectful and open environment for the clientele.
“We will welcome people of any faith and respect all spirituality,” said Lewandoski. “We also strive to be very professional. We would not bring up issues of faith unless the client asked us to. The client is the leader.”
She said that clients are viewed holistically — mind, body and spirit.
“If people have psychological issues, it affects their spirituality,” she said. “And then they feel physically off, so we want to pay attention to all three aspects and be open to talk about them.
“We don’t proselytize,” she added.
Lewandoski, who has been a counselor since 1974, said the world has become much more complex since she began and that now, more so than ever, counseling is a vital way to help people adapt.
“There’s a lot expected of people nowadays, and that requires an adjustment,” she said.
One of the ways the counselors achieve this is by working first to understand the issues brought forth by the client, instead of trying to offer immediate solutions.
“We don’t rush in to try to fix things before we build a bit of a relationship and work to comprehend the situation the client brings to us,” Lewandoski said. “Then we’ll work to problem solve.”
Sometimes it takes awhile to whittle down what the specific concerns of the client are.
“People come in and make a vague statement of ‘I want to be happier’ or ‘I need to make an attitude adjustment,’ but as you talk more it comes down to smaller issues like family or work that are impacting them,” said Katie Wargo, a third-year graduate student intern from Portland State University working at the center.
After the problems are isolated, Wargo said it is interesting and gratifying to see the “aha” moment a client experiences. Lewandoski added that she enjoys helping clients change their perspective on the power they have over their own environment.
“One of the wonderful things counseling can do is empower people as to how they can make even small changes and affect everything around them instead of waiting for change to come from the outside,” she said.
There is no limit to how many sessions a client can seek out, either — counselors work with those who want help for as long as they need it. Both Lewandoski and Wargo said the atmosphere of The Grotto adds to the counseling center for the clients.
“Clients sometimes come and sit outside and think before they come to the counseling center for session or they go out and walk around afterward,” said Lewandoski. “They use The Grotto as an extension for their counseling.”
Yet the setting is helpful for the counselors as well.
“It’s a very relaxed, peaceful environment,” said Wargo. “It’s beneficial to us in the counseling center.”
Lewandoski said she wants anyone who believes he or she needs help to have a place to come, regardless of his or her situation.
To achieve that goal, the counseling center has created a flexible setting for those who seek help — working to adapt to each individual’s needs.
The center has two counseling programs to meet such needs — a regular counseling program staffed by the three licensed counselors as well as a pastoral counselor. The cost of these sessions is $95, which many insurance policies cover, or the fee is subsidized for those who cannot afford the full rate. The Low Cost Program (TLC), staffed by graduate students, begins at $25 a session and is on a sliding scale to match the economic situation of the client.
“I try to encourage them — don’t make it about the money,” said Wargo. “We work with them and what they can afford.”
“Money is always tight, [for clients] but we don’t want that to stand in the way,” Lewandoski said.
More often than not, the center does not recover its costs from the fees it collects from clients. Instead, it relies on The Grotto to provide financial support. Lewandoski also does grant writing, though she said those have been harder to receive in the past few years. The Grotto’s counseling center accepts donations from the public. If anyone wants to donate they can call The Grotto’s main office at 503-254-7371.
In addition to providing economic flexibility to clients, the center offers varying hours to those who work during the day and even an occasional weekend day if the need arises.
The center also offers FOCUS, a questionnaire that allows couples to find issues they may not have previously discussed, for marriage preparation, group seminars and workshops.
For all of its offerings, Lewandoski said she wants to see the center grow in size of clientele. “I think [the center] is underutilized,” she said. “We’d really like to expand. We’re open to having more clients.”
The counseling center is located at The Grotto near Northeast 82nd Avenue and Sandy Boulevard. It is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., though after-hour appointments are available. For more information, call 503-261-2425.
 |
 |
 |
MEMO Advertising | MEMO Archives | MEMO Web Neighbors | MEMO Staff | Home