COMPASS COUNSELLING - ABOUT US

TIMELINE

A conversation between Susan Flynn and Reverend John Williamson regarding the need for a service on Merseyside began the process of forming a Christian based counselling service.
A MARCEA Working Party was set up with the Reverend John Williamson as Chairperson and Susan became Hon Secretary.
COMPASS became formally constituted in 1978, people like Revd Albert Cooper, Tom Robinson and Fr. Vincent Nicholls as he was then ( now Archbishop of Westminster) were drawn into support COMPASS. Counselling began with 12 counsellors after completion of the first training course.The Reverend Miles Parkinson became the first Director with Kay Rooke as Secretary.

25 Hope Street became the permanent base for the Counselling and Mental Health Centre (CMHC).
Along with other agencies, COMPASS worked to provide regular Basic Counselling Skills Courses.
COMPASS branched out into Heswall, Vale Royal and Sefton.
Miles Parkinson and Kay Rooke both resigned, being replaced by Ken Allen and Christine McKenna.

New premises were acquired by COMPASS at 143 - 145 Duke Street.
Nicola Hughes, Barbara Sloan, Brenda Hodgson and Terry Roberts joined the small team of administrative staff.
In conjunction with Liverpool University a one year Intermediate Counselling Course was established.
Mary Turner became the new Director when Ken Allen retired.
The Diploma in Counselling is established, validated by CENTRA.

Full responsibility for running the Basic Counselling Skills and Intermediate courses was taken by COMPASS, ending a 12 year association with other agencies.
A grant to the CMHC enabled the training facilities at 25 Hope Street to be upgraded with disabled access.
Doreen Banks joined the staff.
Brenda Hodgson became full-time Counselling Administrator, assisted part-time by Gwen Waydock.
COMPASS signed the Liverpool Welfare Organisations’ Committee’s ‘Charter for Change’, and a Race & Culture Group was set up.
A contract counselling service for staff of local employers began, The staff were joined by Anita Nolan as part-time Training Administrator and funding was received from the National Lottery Charities Board (NLCB).

In recognition of his many roles in COMPASS, Tom Robinson was made Honorary President.
Jo Anne McGonigal joined the staff as Funding Development Officer, and Brenda Hodgson was appointed Acting Manager, following Mary Crosby’s departure.
Esther Langrish became Director and the Diploma Course received British Association for Counselling accreditation.
Nicola Brodie-Browne (Hughes) resigned and Anita Nolan became full-time Training Administrator.
Brenda Hodgson became Assistant Director with Gwen Waydock as full-time Counselling Administrator and Margaret Harvey as her assistant.
A new initiative of Saturday conferences proved very successful.
We established links with Merseyside Racial Equality Council (MREC) and Churches Action for Racial Equality (CARE).
Liz Murray became Finance Administrator on the retirement of Barbara Sloan.

Esther Langrish resigned as Director.
Brenda Hodgson was appointed Acting Director.
Bruce Wood resigned as Treasurer and Eric Smith took his place.
A contract was signed with the Octagon Primary Care Group for COMPASS to provide counselling in medical centres.
A new system of measuring achievement (Outcome Management) was implemented in the counselling service.
Liz Murray resigned as Finance Administrator.

Susan Robinson was appointed as Finance Administrator.
Doreen Banks retired as Assistant Training Administrator, and Ann Walsh succeeded her.
An application for a Community Fund Grant was successful.
This grant was made to fund the salaries of three administrative posts and contribute towards the cost of In-service training for volunteer counsellors over a period of three years.
Internet and E-mail facilities were installed. All administrative staff received internet training.

Another successful application was obtained from the Community Fund to pay the salary of the Assistant Director.
Jo Anne McGonigal was appointed Workplace Support Project Co-ordinator, with the task of expanding the service.
Brenda Dunn was appointed Director and Brian Clingan as Assistant Director.
Dorothy Rowe and Colin Lago were the speakers at two one-day conferences.
All Hope Street Administrators successfully obtained the (ECDL) - European Computer Driving Licence. This is an international computer skills qualification which covers seven key areas of information technology.

25th Anniversary celebrations took place at the Annual General Meeting.
COMPASS, MitE (Mission in the Economy), and Somewhere Else (the City Centre Methodist Church) formed a consortium to make a joint bid for European Funding.
Alison Wotherspoon was appointed to job-share the post of General Administrative Assistant with Terry Roberts.
COMPASS was designated an AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance) centre for delivering a national framework accredited qualification, the Intermediate Certificate in Introduction to Counselling Concepts .
Sefton branch closed, but counselling continues in Crosby.
Mary Crosby, the third Director, died in September. Brian Clingan, the Assistant Director, resigned at the end of the year.

With a solid 25-year history of providing a high quality counselling service it would be easy to become complacent about the need to develop.
In a time when ever-decreasing funding pots are being accessed by ever-increasing organisations, it would seem prudent that we initiate a programme of proactive targets which will allow us to generate a self-sustainable income which will reduce our dependency on raising money from trusts.
The charitable sector is changing and demands are now being made for charitable organisations to become more business minded in safeguarding their own financial futures.
COMPASS is meeting this challenge and is determined to remain at the forefront of counselling provision within Merseyside.