In March, our West Ulverstone counselling centre received a fantastic gift from Target: a transformational refurbishment of the entire office.

Target went above and beyond with three counselling rooms, a waiting room, resource rooms, games and activities, and even an outdoor space with a sandpit and garden beds.

Local Target and Kmart store members and the Target Community Team volunteered to deliver the project, creating a warm and welcoming environment that wasn't just about making the space look nice but also creating a place where children, young people and their families would feel safe and supported.

The counselling centre provides a range of services, including the Children’s Family Violence Program, which provides counselling to those affected by family violence. They also work with children in Out of Home Care, such as foster care, kinship care, and residential care, who have experienced trauma due to family violence, neglect, abuse, parental substance misuse, and other harmful experiences.

These services utilise play and creative therapy approaches, and the new and improved spaces have already begun to have a very positive impact. Creating a safe and supportive counselling environment is important for children to feel calm and secure, enabling them to properly engage in their therapeutic journey.

Before the makeover, one child said the space looked unloved and uncared for, a representation of her own experiences in life and how she has felt. She was delighted to see the new space and very positive about the changes made, along with all the other children who have been to the office since.

When we come together as a community, amazing things can happen. Target’s hard work and generosity has made a real difference to the lives of children, young people and their families.