Thank you for responding .... Sorry - but the lack of Funding for the Mets Counselling Service was never mentioned in the email as being the reason for it being ‘dropped’ ... so does this mean that ‘if’ funding became available again, the Mets Counselling Service will be reinstated? If not, why not? Was the funding from a specific ‘outside source’? Are they aware of the importance of an in-house service to those with Mets? Or was it allocated from BCNA’s ‘pool of money’ from donations and fund raising?
With up to 30% of us going on to develop Mets - the numbers needing ‘Mets help’ will only be increasing... so the in-house Mets Counselling Service then becomes even more vital as a support tool for members.
I think that many members feel that, given their posts on BCNA, that the Mods/Counsellors can ‘research’ the members background even as they are speaking with them (or they may even have followed their journey so are already aware of their distress) and can provide support with the added knowledge that they have gained background on, from the blog.
For someone to ring the helpline, (after finally getting the courage to pick up the phone ...) hoping for support, only to be given another phone number to ring and then to have to explain their situation right from the start ... AGAIN ... would be very distressing and it could even tip some very fragile people ‘over the edge’ ....
It it seems to me that the heart of the ‘Helpline’ (as seen by members) has been ripped out with these changes.
I think, really, that I am just very disappointed (as are other members) that there wasn’t any community discussion or member input into these decisions - the decisions were made behind closed doors with faceless ‘consultants’ .... which probably would have cost as much as 12 months of the Mets Counselling Service!
