Counselling veteran calls time on role

• Published date: 05 November 2021

Carol Parkinson and her husband were planning a move to Nelson to be closer to family, ending her lengthy service to the Living Well Counselling Centre that first began operating 19 years ago.

“It is time for a new voice and a fresh vision for the centre,” she said.

“My husband and I are relocating to Nelson where we look forward to pursuing our hobbies and spending more time with family, especially our grandchildren.”

Living Well Counselling Centre was a long-standing, Levin-based not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation (NGO) that originally began in 1990 as the Christian Counselling Service.

The service was seen as a way to provide affordable and professional counselling to those in the community struggling with emotional wellbeing issues and started with just one counsellor, Wade Webby, operating out of a small rear office in his wife’s secretarial business.

Parkinson started as the volunteer receptionist in 2002.

In 2008, she became the manager when Webby retired, a role she was well suited for, holding formal qualifications in social work and in women’s studies.

Through her leadership and management skills the service flourished and expanded its services, helping more than 7000 people since its inception.

The centre employed additional staff because of increasing community need and to serve an increasing number of clients from the Horowhenua region.

Parkinson also ensured the centre continued inducting new counsellors to the profession, hosting counselling interns from tertiary education institutions to help them fulfil the practicum requirements of their counselling degrees.

Originally, the counselling service was run from an upstairs premises on Oxford St. But it was not easily accessible, so in 2010 she oversaw the relocation of the service to a refurbished space at 29 Queen St.

Although still upstairs, the new premises was accessible to more clients as the building had a lift.

Parkinson was also instrumental in leading a review of the service in 2010, which led to the name being changed to Living Well Counselling Centre, and this year the centre...