When I was 18 years old my whole life was drastically changed because my parents announced the end of their 19-year marriage. It was always pretty rocky, but they finally decided it was time to call it quits. I always knew this was a huge possibility, but I didn’t expect it to be as hard as it was. To add to the stress I was out of the country on a mission trip for our last family Christmas, and I was halfway through my freshman year of college with finals coming up. To say I wasn’t handling this well was an understatement. I confided in a mentor at my church how I felt like I needed to talk to someone to help me cope. She suggested I reach out to Eve Center.
Eve Center offers free peer-to-peer counseling to women in a Christian setting. Each volunteer counselor is trained through the center, and you meet with them usually for an hour once a week. Some of the common topics covered are anxiety/stress, abuse (emotional, relational, sexual, spiritual), anger, boundaries/codependency, fear, feeling lost or confused, grief, guilt/shame, loneliness, pregnancy loss (abortion or miscarriage), relationship, self-esteem, and spirituality.
In addition to one on one counseling Eve Center also offers recovery groups, book studies, a lending library, and training for volunteer counselors. All of these are conducted in a non-judgemental setting to promote healing and growth.
There are three sites throughout the city so more women can access these free services:
Central (Silverton)– 7038 Blue Ash Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45236
West (Crossroads Church West Side)– 8575 Bridgetown Road, Cincinnati, OH 45002
North (West Chester)– 5962 Hamilton-Mason Road Liberty Township, OH 45011
Maybe you yourself have been through a traumatic event in your life and feel like you could help other women. Eve Center is always looking for volunteer counselors to add to their spring and fall training courses. Each new volunteer means two more women can utilize this free service.
There is no shame in reaching out for help when you feel like there is nowhere to turn. It’s not a coincidence that Eve Center’s motto is “We’ve been where you are.” Each counselor has been through something in their lives that led them to help others through similar situations. You should never feel like you are alone. Eve Center makes sure someone will be by your side throughout the entire healing process. They did for me, and I’m a much better person because of it.
Eve Center – P.O. Box 36483 Cincinnati, Oh 45236 – 513-985-9959 – [email protected]
