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Counselling Service for Older People

Wellington Region – Capital & Coast Area

WellElder is a community trust providing specialist counselling for older people from Wellington through to Kapiti.

Counselling

WellElder provides specialist counselling for older adults experiencing mild to moderate mental health and wellbeing challenges, including grief and loss, anxiety, depression, adjustment to ageing, relationship concerns, loneliness, life transitions, and the emotional impacts of health and caring responsibilities.

Our service is available to people aged 60 years and over, and 55 years and over for Māori and Pasifika, living within the Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley region.

Clients may attend counselling individually, as a couple, or with family/whānau members where appropriate. We offer up to six one-hour counselling sessions, with additional sessions available in some circumstances.

Counselling is provided by experienced, professionally qualified counsellors from welcoming locations in Newtown, Johnsonville, Porirua, Paraparaumu and the Hutt Valley. Where mobility or health is a barrier, we may also be able to arrange counselling in a client's home or via telephone or secure online platforms such as Zoom.

Referrals

If you are a health professional, support worker, social worker or field worker, you can refer a patient or client to us. You can also self-refer to us as an individual.

Make a referral

WellElder believes that we all face challenges as we age. We are never too old to learn new skills, change behaviour, grow in insight and understanding, and maintain good emotional health.

Older people are often challenged to cope with significant changes that can occur simultaneously. For example, a reduction in physical capabilities, becoming a carer for their spouse or partner, and shrinking social networks and opportunities.

While older people are used to getting on with life themselves, a skilled professional is surprisingly easy to talk to and can help us to:

  • Move through depression
  • Reduce anxiety and/or stress
  • Make our own decisions about issues we’re finding challenging
  • Improve our relationships
  • Develop our sense of wellbeing
  • Come to terms with events and decisions in our lives

No issue is too big or too small – our relationships, the loss of friends and family, where we live, memories that we live with, coping with the daily demands of life, anxiety or depression – whatever it is that we face can be brought to counselling.

Our People

Our counsellors are all very experienced and interested in working with older adults and know the issues many of us face as we age:

  • Health challenges
  • Changing relationships with partners, adult children and others
  • Living arrangements – whether and how to remain living independently in our home or to move to a retirement village or rest home
  • Grief – the loss of friends, family, physical abilities, driver’s licence
  • Depression
  • Loneliness
  • Anxiety

Read the profiles of our counsellors, staff and board members.

Information and support

Your rights as our client

Find out what you can expect as a client when you contact us and see a counsellor.

See your rights.

Groups

We offer tailored group sessions with community partners – get in contact if you'd like to work together.

Information Sheets

Free resources available to download, supporting older people through a range of life challenges.

What our clients say about us

  • "I really felt she understood my situation well, helped me to work out coping strategies, and helped me to focus on the important issues … I feel confident going into the future now"
  • "This is a wonderful service for those of us who are older, experienced, used to coping – but in need of redirection, support and an empathic boost to keep going with dignity"
  • "It is very helpful to talk to an understanding person who is not personally involved in your situation. I do hope you can continue with this good service"
  • "I found my counsellor very easy to talk to and found the sessions a big help as I was going through a very difficult time"
  • "I thank WellElder for being available when other options are unaffordable. I also think the client needs to be serious and put into practice the suggestions of the counsellor"
  • "I found counselling helpful as I was able to discuss things I couldn’t with anyone else. I feel much more able to cope"
  • "For others, who, like me, may need take ‘time out’ in a caring and supportive environment to reflect, renew and fortify their sense of purpose in life"

Get in touch with us

Donations and contributions are necessary to cover the full cost of our service.
You can donate to us through Givealittle.

Donate now

Supporters

Thank you to Allen+Clarke for their provision of pro bono support to evaluate our constitution and Board review. We appreciate the support and input into this mahi for Well Elder.

Thank you to Tregaskis Brown for their provision of pro bono support to facilitate a strategic meeting for WellElder.

Thank you to Sentence Case for their help shaping the content for our new website.

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