“A crisis pregnancy is basically an unplanned pregnancy and can affect women from all walks of life. Rich, poor, young children, older woman, absolutely anyone,” explains Toni Wilkins, founder and head social worker at the Door of Hope counselling centre.
A valuable community resource Door of Hope has been providing free counselling and emotional support to the Durban North community for the past ten years and it’s here that Toni and her caring team offer one-on-one counselling sessions to women in crisis pregnancies.
Crisis pregnancies can be overbearing, a tough journey that Toni walks each women through step by step: “Those who come to us are often in panic for the first few sessions and don’t know where to go and what to do. Sometimes they come in before they’ve even received their pregnancy results and we’re able to offer support, even accompanying them to fetch their results. Other women come to us after they’ve aborted their baby or given it up for adoption.”
Door of Hope also guides women through, “heavy conversations like telling parents or partner, giving up schooling and working through overwhelming feelings of guilt, shame, anger, sadness and hopelessness that are common emotions for women in crisis pregnancies.”
All various options available including adoptions, abortions and the daily routines of keeping a child are carefully explained. Each decision comes with it’s own set of pains and Door of Hope helps women come to terms with their individual choice.
Adoption is a serious consideration for some women and over her sixteen year career as a counselor Toni has built up an established relationship with Child Welfare. If a mother wants to release her baby for adoption Door of Hope links them up with welfare and guides them through that difficult decision of, “what it means to give up the right to bring up your own child.”
Even though Door of Hope believes in pro life the counselling centre still offers guidance in abortion and post abortion counselling. Post abortion stress system is a common syndrome rooted in the guilt of the decision to abort and, “the overwhelming feeling that one doesn’t have the right to be forgiven.”
As any mother will know a new baby is a large responsibility and the counselling centre also provides helpful information to mothers who choose to keep their child, offering advice on how to practically care for a baby and the costs, planning and support involved.
Above all Door of Hope is a source of comfort, strength and encouragement for any woman who walks through the centre’s doors, regardless of situation and personal decision. Toni wants all women in emotional pain as a result of an unplanned pregnancy to remember, “There is hope and even though you’re pregnant you can still have a life, it’s not the end of the road.”
Door of Hope is located at address, next door to the Domino Foundation’s Fairhavens Babies Home. You can contact Door of Hope on 082 774 9969 or www.cogs.co.za
1 Comment
Well done on a very worthwhile initiative. If at any stage you need counsellors, would love to somehow get involved. Thanks