Venkat Raman
Auckland, April 19, 2020
A professional organisation in Hamilton is offering free counselling and psychological services in 13 languages to reach wider sections of the diverse communities.
Diversity Counselling New Zealand (DCNZ) will provide these services to residents in the Waikato region as a part of its efforts to combat Covid-19.
Different languages to reach out
DCNZ Manager and Counsellor Vanisri Mills said that professional counsellors and clinical psychologists providing these services are ethnic, registered and approved for migrants and former refugees of all groups and genders.
“This will be available for the next three months after which there will be a reassessment. We are able to offer our services in Afrikaans, Bemba, Bengali, English, German, Hindi, Hungarian (Magyar), Japanese, Korean, Nyanja, Punjabi, Sinhalese and Tamil. We will use interpreters for other languages if necessary,” she said.
Ms Mills said that the services are offered through a number of communication platforms including Skype, Zoom and WhatsApp.
Please call or text 021-02625587 between 9 am and 5 pm to access the services.
“Those calling us outside these hours may leave a message with their name and number. We will respond within 24 hours,” Ms Mills said.
About DCNZ
Established in September 2013 as a Charitable Trust, Diversity Counselling New Zealand aims to promote and facilitate environments to accept the diversity of cultures, ethnicities, genders, religions, and languages by supporting people from different backgrounds to encourage their agency and dignity.
The Trust also undertakes activities to promote better mental health conditions among people from their own unique backgrounds. These activities include educational courses, workshops, group works, and individual consultations.
