Nurse Now Working To Heal People From The Inside

Nurse Now Working To Heal People From The Inside

Bev Clark had worked as a nurse for nearly two and half decades, but felt it was time to help heal people from the inside.

“When I was working in hospital, a young man deliberately threw himself under a taxi, injuring himself severely. After much treatment, I finally saw him as he walked out the front door. He said, 'Nurse, I'm all healed' and I thought, 'But what about your what is going on inside your head?'

“Always in the back of my mind, I’ve wondered what is happening in the spirit, soul and mind of a person,” says Bev, a WelTec counselling student who is graduating on Friday in Auckland. “Counselling has become my first passion,” says Bev.

Bev completed the Bachelor of Counselling with WelTec as a part-time student while also working part-time as a school nurse. Now, she's moving to a new role within her school.

“After working 11 years as a school nurse, I'm now going to be a school counsellor. I'll be supporting young people and families to give them tools to help support them and to deal with life's challenges, whether that's peer pressure, drugs and alcohol, cultural challenges and relationship difficulties,” says Bev. She will also continue her facilitation and counselling role at Women's Refuge, which she started at the beginning of the year.

“I've been training to facilitate group work with amazing women recovering from domestic violence,” says Bev. “One of my dreams was to make my counselling accessible to the community where the needs are the greatest. I’m doing my dream.”

She's found that the counselling degree at WelTec has helped give her the best start to work in counselling.
“We learned a wide range of theories, research, cultural understandings and practical applications. They included whakaruruhau (understanding Maori concepts), addiction studies, mental health, abuse components and psychology.

“These studies have given me a small glimpse into how extremely difficult it is for people to work through issues that are complex; and it reminds me to continue to be more compassionate, empathetic, listen, believe and hold out hope and to ensure that I am not judgemental.”

One of the benefits to learning at WelTec is the practical placements the students undertake, as well as the class and tutor interactions. “All the tutors teach from their own life experiences, which is relevant and practical. They are counsellors in their own right, specialising in particular areas. Their experience gives meaning and depth to the academic studies, which is very important for me; it has to be relevant for a person be it in Maori, European, Pasifika and other cultures,” says Bev.

After many years of part-time study, Bev is “ecstatic and relieved” to have gained a degree to continue helping make a difference in her community. “All our children and my husband are also completing studies at the moment, and they're so very proud of me. I just can't believe that graduation day has finally come.”

WelTec students achieved more than 3600 qualifications 2015. Graduating students are being capped at a ceremony tomorrow at 1.00pm at the Heritage Hotel, Hobson Street, Auckland.

ENDS

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