Supporting people as a volunteer counsellor is so rewarding

Ellie Kadir, 27, is in the second year of her degree in integrative counselling. Here she shares why volunteering as a counsellor at Saint Francis Hospice is so rewarding.  

I was 16 when my nan was cared for by Saint Francis Hospice. The nurses and everyone working and volunteering at the hospice was phenomenal. It was such a warm and comfortable space, not at all the gloomy place we had expected.  

I was very close to my nan, she was like a second mum to me. I spent a lot of time with her and we had some good laughs and chats. My nan loved a little tipple and being able to have a drink when the trolley came around in the evenings.  

My nan experienced the amazing care of the hospice

After experiencing the amazing care, my nan changed her mind about dying at home.  She knew she would be so well looked after on the ward, and it would take some pressure off my mum and our family.  

The hospice’s counselling team reached out when my nan died and a counsellor came to my home.  She really helped me to process my grief and understand it better.  

It is difficult to talk about how you are feeling with your mum or family members when they are going through it and you do not want to upset them. That is very tricky as a family.  

Counselling helped me to not feel alone in my grief

I can still remember the education to normalise grief. It helps you to feel you are not alone if you are in denial or expecting your loved one to still walk through the door, other people go through that.  

I didn’t always want a career as a counsellor. I worked in retail for a few years, but I didn’t feel fulfilled. I questioned what difference I had made with my day. I felt I didn’t have a purpose.  

Counselling made such a difference to me and my life, so when I saw an opportunity to do a 12-week evening course, I signed up. I absolutely loved it and decided to go all the way with it.  

The first time I saw the hospice’s counselling team talk about placements at my college fair, I thought I had too many memories of my time at the hospice to go there.  

But this all changed when Sue Spong, who is a counsellor with the hospice, came to speak about her work in supporting people who were bereaved or facing the loss of a loved one. The next time applications came up for a placement, I applied, and I was lucky enough to get a place.  

I go home feeling I've made a difference

I’ve now been volunteering for almost a year now and I do go home feeling I have made a difference.  I learn something from every session because every client is different. Every time I step into the room, I never know what to expect. People are so unique and from week to week, people can feel very different too. 

The most rewarding part is seeing the change in clients. You do not always see it straight away. Sometimes it can take weeks before someone tells you they have changed how they are dealing with things and are able to reflect on the change in themselves.  

I feel like my life has come full circle

I’ve also seen a change in myself. From where I started to where I am now as a counsellor, I feel I am so much more confident.  

I plan to continue volunteering at the hospice. I feel like my life has come full circle. It is interesting to think that 10 years ago I did not know I would be back here for a completely different reason. Life has a weird way of putting things in place.