Calgary Counselling Centre marks 2010 as a year of transition

Calgary Counselling Centre’s Annual Report is available online, or please ask us for a copy.

It’s official: Calgary Counselling Centre finished 2010 positioned with a bright outlook for the year ahead. Calgary Counselling Centre’s latest annual report documents the transitions we faced.

“It was a challenging year,” says Robbie.  “Our clients, fellow community members and our staff faced significant transitions. Despite the challenges we faced, we were able to keep to our strategic vision, by focusing on our four pillars: counselling, education, research and community contribution.”

The Centre responded to yet another year of record number of requests, up three per cent from 2009. In six different months, we set new all-time records for the number of requests we received at the agency.  Despite the demand, we did not implement a wait list for service.

In 2010, Calgary Counselling Centre continued to feel the impact of the economic downturn.  Some clients struggled with no income/unemployment, financial difficulties and income losses due to job or family changes.  This impacted the Centre’s counselling revenue.

“The economy impacted our clients,” says Robbie, “79 per cent of our clients required subsidization in their fee for our services.”

During the second and third quarter, our counselling team transitioned to new standards, to ensure long term productivity in the counselling program.  Our counselling revenue was also impacted during this shift.

“Our focus in 2010 was on operational effectiveness,” says Robbie. “We set productivity targets with our staff. We also continued our significant training investment with our staff, to ensure the quality of our counselling efforts.  All members of our counselling team – and for the first time, our entire student program – participated in training to more fully integrate client feedback measures to achieve superior results.”

Calgary Counselling Centre launched two new initiatives in 2010: Strengthening Families Program: Couples Treatment for Domestic Violence and Substance Use and Self Esteem for Adolescents.

“I am very optimistic about the Centre’s future,” says Robbie. “Calgary Counselling Centre employees have done a remarkable job adapting to the changes we experienced in 2010.  It is to their credit that the organization is well position for the future. It is their extraordinary response to tough times that has allowed us to transition well.”

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