P.E.I. Family Violence Prevention Services has 2 new ways to offer psychological support

P.E.I. Family Violence Prevention Services has come up with ways to deliver more free psychological support to its clients, with the help of the University of Prince Edward Island and an innovative enterprise it calls The Nest. 

The organization traditionally focuses on things like education, support groups, emergency shelters and outreach services. But executive director Danya O'Malley said there was a gap when it came to offering clinical services. 

"There's a lot of reasons why support is exactly what people need. They need somebody to walk alongside them on the path that they're on, somebody to help them navigate services," O'Malley said. 

"We do see people who are in some very fragile conditions, psychologically, and it is sometimes challenging to receive services in a timely way." 

That's why last year, they began working with UPEI Doctor of Psychology practicum students to offer free services to clients, with oversight from the university, O'Malley said. 

"It was a wonderful experience," she said. "The students have been amazing."

Two new practicum students started in May and will be spending two days a week with Family Violence Prevention Services until mid-December.

UPEI psychology professor Philip Smith said a supervising psychologist will ensure any client is a good fit for the student. Then they work on a plan of how to proceed and keep a close eye on how the process is going. 

"The clients can be assured that the students in a practicum setting are being supervised, so that the level, the quality of service that the clients are receiving would be parallel to the quality of services that they would receive from a registered psychologist."

It's also a chance for the students to learn directly in the community.

"This is an opportunity for them to work with... folks who have had experiences around family violence, domestic abuse," said Smith. 

"That's an important kind of learning opportunity for the students."

Family Violence Prevention Services is continuing to build on work like this. O'Malley said the organization is now offering some clinical services to the general public — including therapy, assessments and consultations. 

It's called The Nest.