Sundays Can Seem Like Rainy Days : Clinic Offers Counseling When Most Centers Are Closed

Sunday--traditionally a day of rest and a time to count one’s blessings--can be the loneliest day of the week for those who are alone or troubled.

And that, says Mary Ellen Cassman, executive director of the Airport Marina Counseling Service, is why the Westchester clinic has begun offering Sunday counseling.

The nonprofit counseling service, which is marking its 25th anniversary this year, began offering Sunday therapy last spring. In addition to weekday sessions, Saturday and evening appointments also are available. The clinic serves about 2,000 people a month and, despite four expansions, is bulging at the seams. It is hoped that the Sunday hours will help relieve some of the overcrowding, Cassman said.

“And with people working five days a week and soccer games and cleaning on Saturdays, Sunday may be the best time for families,” she said.

The Budget Crunch

Weekend counseling was offered several years ago by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health but was eliminated because of budget cuts, said Dr. Albert Kettenis, the department’s area chief for Greater Santa Monica and West Los Angeles. “I don’t believe there is anyone else (in the area) now providing that kind of much-needed coverage.”

Alayne Bat Haim, director of the Sunday clinic at the Westchester facility, said it is an especially good day for group therapy sessions and recently started Turning Points, a support group for those who have suffered a loss.

“Sunday is a day when lonely people get lonelier,” said Anita Harrison, a counselor who volunteered for the Sunday slot. “I think Sundays are real hard for everyone at some time. In my family it was a real family day--nobody did anything away from the house. When I went away to college, I felt a real loss.”

In addition to a full-time paid staff of three and a part-time paid staff of 16, the clinic has about 80 volunteer therapists, interns and supervisors. Even so, clients may have to wait several weeks for counseling--unless they are in the midst of a crisis. Fees, which range from nothing to $60 per hour, are based on a client’s ability to pay, the average being $11 per hour.

Some therapists and supervisors volunteer at the clinic to gain exposure to the variety of cases, Cassman said, noting that clients range in age from 4 to 84 and represent various ethnic and economic groups.

Most of the volunteer therapists are part of an intern program. The clinic serves as a training agency for most of the major universities in the area, including UCLA, USC, the Cal State schools and Loyola Marymount.

The interns are in the last year of their master’s degree programs or

have completed their master’s degrees and need 3,000 hours of counseling before they are eligible to take the licensing examination for clinical social worker or marriage, family and child therapist. All of the therapists receive group supervision from licensed professionals on the staff.

Financial support comes from members of the Westchester Mental Health Guild, who operate the Guilded Cage Gift Shop nearby and donate their time and gift shop profits to the counseling service. Becky Foley, the shop’s director and coordinator, said the guild has donated $76,500 to the clinic in the last 11 years.

“Everyone who works here has known someone who has used the clinic,” said Jeanne Gilbreth, one of 35 volunteers who staffs the gift shop.

Volunteers Aid Staff

The clerical staff of 20 that runs the front desk is also mostly volunteer. Stella Mogck, coordinator of the office volunteers and a retired schoolteacher, worked as a volunteer for 12 years before being hired part-time as coordinator eight years ago.

Said Annabelle Keir, 72, who has volunteered at the clinic for 11 years: “When someone calls here, I would not answer them the same way I would if I worked in an insurance company. They are trying to discover if it is safe to come here. That voice she hears at the front desk means a lot. Thinking of going into therapy is scary.”

“In the last 10 or 15 years, there has been tremendous acceptance (of psychological counseling); our growth reflects that,” said Carl E. Nielsen, director of corporate bid and proposal for Hughes Aircraft, who serves as treasurer on the counseling center’s board of directors. “The younger generation coming along doesn’t have the hang-ups about mental health our parents had. It has been a long time in coming.”