Nora

Position:  Counsellor

At Off Centre since: 2010

What do you like the most at Off Centre?

What I like most about Off Centre is that it has a long history of working with young people in the local community. There is also genuine compassion and concern by the staff for the young people attending the Centre.  It is also great to work with counsellors from diverse therapeutic backgrounds, there is the scope for working creatively and professional development is valued.

Name one quality (trait of character) you think is the most important for your job - why?

Flexibility because no one situation or the issues brought to counselling is the same, therefore it is important to have an open mind and a willingness to have ones ideas, preconceptions and assumptions challenged.
When working with people either through counselling or as work colleagues we are dealing with the individual, flexibility takes into consideration the qualities that makes us who we are.

What do you do to relax when you feel stress?

To relax I might chill out on the sofa. I find gardening relaxing and therapeutic it also gives me creative thinking time, as well as a real sense of achievement.  It’s great watching something grow from a small seed into a beautiful plant you can admire or serve up in a meal.

What’s your most treasured object?

I don’t think have one. I was once given a bracelet which I valued and lost. I was very upset by this. From then on I thought the loss of an object should not affect me in this way.

What’s your favourite word?

I do not have one.