Andrew, Counsellor

Andrew has been volunteering since 2015 and finds working in a supportive team of counsellors a rich and rewarding experience.

How long have you been a volunteer counsellor with age UK Camden? Since 2015. Prior to that I was a befriender at Age UK Kensington and Chelsea for 18 months.

What does the role involve? I have found working in a supportive team of counsellors a rich and rewarding experience. I usually work one or two afternoons a week. I hope that I support clients to understand something of their own here and now experience. This feels like a two way process because while I listen to their stories, I learn more about what it is to be a human.

What other benefits are there, eg have you learned anything surprising? These experiences have been humbling and surprising as a generation of men and women come into contact with Tavis House from all over Camden and respond to a world, which often feels like they are no longer the centre of. I admire their fortitude and energy as they struggle to make sense of the changing environment: the redevelopments, the train lines, the lorries, and with it the disappearance of familiar neighbourhoods and people they knew.

Working particularly with clients reminds me of life passing and that there is always growth and understanding to be discovered at any age.