For this weeks "Meet and Greet" interview, I caught up with our lovely Richard House Counsellor, Alicia.

How long have you been working at Richard House?

I started in September 2021

What is your job role?

I am the Counsellor. I support parents whose children attend Richard House with the emotional difficulties that are involved – anxiety, overwhelm, grief, loss, relationship difficulties, loss of identity and so on. Having a safe, calm, non-judgemental and compassionate space to talk can be so valuable. I offer pre- and post- bereavement support as well.

I can also offer support for siblings and the children/ young people themselves if it is suitable. Children may feel they can’t express how they really feel to parents or carers for fear of upsetting them, having an ‘outside’ person to talk to may feel better.

What does a day to day at Richard House look like for you?

I work here on Mondays and Tuesdays. I offer telephone or video calls, or face to face sessions. I will check emails and send messages out to confirm sessions and have the sessions themselves. There may be admin to do around the sessions, or some research in terms of signposting. I also work closely with Michelle, our Family Support Worker, to organise and facilitate coffee mornings for Mum’s and family events such as the Christmas Party coming up. I am in the process of organising a Memory Day event as well early next year.

Why do you like working at Richard House?

I enjoy working as part of a team, the aim for all of us is to support the children and their families, and we all have different roles within that. The families that use Richard House all have different stories and they are all interesting and important.

Do you have a favourite memory of Richard House?

During the summer we had an event here where musicians from the Lang Lang Foundation came and performed for families outside – it was lovely to see the effect of the music. We also had a drumming workshop, again it was lovely to see how the children responded to the sounds.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I read a lot, and enjoy watching nonsense on television, also listening to music to unwind – you can’t beat a kitchen disco. I like to have a walk amongst trees if I can, particularly with the Autumn colours. Of course I’m going to say this – but having a good old natter with friends is also important.

What made you want to get into hospice care/working with children?

I worked with children with Special Needs as a TA in mainstream schools for many years, then went into counselling as a development of that. To become a qualified counsellor you have to have a certain amount of hours – I applied to be a volunteer counsellor at an adult hospice, and from there I realised that bereavement work was something that really interested me – it feels very ‘real’ and very human. I then went on to work with a bereavement charity for several years before coming here.

Who is your inspiration?

This is a tricky one to answer! There are famous people who are important to me for their work and the way they live their life, also I have friends who come to mind, who have faced trials and adversity with grace, humour, and great spirit.

What did you want to be when you were younger?

At one point I remember having a great plan – I would be a ballerina in the mornings, then be an actor in the theatre in the afternoons, and a pop star giving concerts in the evenings…

It hasn’t quite worked out like that, but I think it’s for the best - it sounds rather exhausting!

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 Thank you Alicia, for all you do for Richard House!