Telecare "School"

“For years we trained our volunteers so they could help callers. More recently we have expanded our training by offering resources to anyone who needs encouragement and information on people care,” shares Executive Director Bill Strom. The spirit of this shift is partnership as we seek to serve the wider community, develop relationships, and widen our circle of Telecare friends. The initiatives that show this shift include 1) resources at Telecarebc.com, 2) webinars hosted online, and 3) our Listen Up! active listening workshops at churches and businesses.

Our website has expanded beyond information for callers to include resources for everyone. Our most popular resource is Encouraging Words which provides short, inspiring thoughts. For example, “The word LISTEN contains the same letters as the word SILENT”(Alfred Brendal), and “When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy” (Psalm 33:20-21). The site also provides articles, videos, contact and feedback forms, and information on how to become a volunteer.

Telecare also began to offer online webinars under the banner “Caring Conversations”. Topics included resiliency, mental health, and listening with guests such as counselor Kirk Austin, singer songwriter Steve Bell, and director Daniel Whitehead of Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries. Readers can check for videos of these events at Caring Conversations.

We have also led Listen Up! in churches and other venues. We consider it a bootcamp in the basics of people care and active listening. Listen Up! is hosted in churches where organizers gather care group leaders, pastors, counseling staff, and others. It’s a lively environment with discussion, videos, and roleplays. More recently we developed a lunch-and-learn version (60-minutes) for businesses and organizations.

“Our desire is to train and inspire people everywhere,” Bill Strom commented. “And it seems to be working as we see around 2000 website visits per month.”

Readers may contact the office for more information on any of these community-oriented resources. Telecare hopes to be a place of learning and helping in ways that nurture mental and spiritual health. Call 604-852-4058 or email admin@telecarebc.com.