0491 640 320
About Lotus
Lotus Support & Counselling Services Incorporated continues providing support for people in our community experiencing homelessness and disadvantage. We have many years of experience delivering this work through another service. Doreen Jones created this program in response to people needing to access affordable counselling services, or facing long wait times for free counselling. With a strong network of willing and qualified counsellors, it seemed a natural combination to provide a program that offered fee-free counselling, utilising volunteers wishing to gain more experience. If a person can make a donation, we are grateful however if not, this does not limit their eligibility. Initially created for people experiencing homelessness, it was soon realised that counselling may not be a high priority for this cohort of people, and the concept of mentoring provided an avenue for supporting people in other ways. With an ever growing team of people, all having completed a volunteer training, this work grew and flourished in the community. We have built strong alliances with other services, and become well known for our work, indeed for our ability to fill the gaps in services currently provided. Our flexibility is founded in the dedication, commitment and compassion of volunteers willing to go above and beyond the scope of their volunteer agreement, for the benefit of others. We value the support of a strong team of volunteers and respectful connections in the community. Just as the Lotus team could not deliver the services it does without the amazing team of volunteers, neither would we exist without community support. We look forward to continued collaboration to provide service users with the support needed to make a positive difference in their lives.
In Collaboration
Lotus Support & Counselling Services has built strong relationships with other services and agencies in Mandurah and surrounds. We value the support of the following organisations who work with us to deliver the best possible options for our mutual participants: Anglicare WA, AtWork Australia, Bethanie Housing, Bluebird Mental Health, City of Mandurah, Department of Communities, Department of Justice, Ending Homelessness in WA, Halo, Housing Authority, John's Vision, Kingsway Global Care, Ovis, Peel Community Mental Health Service, Peel Health Campus, Rainbow Health, Refresh Showers, Relationships Australia, RUAH Choices, St Pats, WA Alliance to End Homelessness, and others.

Students on placement

Lotus provides placement experiences for students from registered training organisations including, but not limited to South Metro TAFE, TrainSmart Autralia, REACH for Training, Stotts College and many more. Students are studying a range of qualifications including Masters of Counselling, Bachelor Community Services / Counselling, Diploma Community Services / Peer Mental Health / Mental Health, and Cert IV Community Services. Students boost our capacity, and also benefit by gaining a qualification. Many are international students and bring us a varied and multicultural experience which we foster, and also aligns with our values of inclusivity. Students and volunteers often gain paid employment based on their experiences at Lotus, and we celebrate their wins, even when it means we lose their services.
  • Thank you for the opportunity to be part of the team and for the endless learning opportunities. I have learnt a lot through Lotus, the mentors, students and the counsellors. It is now time to put my learnt experience into action by serving the community. Thank you."
    M.C. Past Student
  • Thank you Lotus for being part of my journey, with listening, guidance, inspiration and everything else. Thank you for the endless support you showed as an amazing team. I am so grateful and happy to have been part of the team for a few weeks. All I can say is Thank You!"
    Past Student
  • Thanks for making my placement journey smooth and full of joy. It was a wonderful time I had with you all. I wanna say all the best for Lotus."
    S. K. Past student

About our name and uniforms

We are very proud of the shirts worn by our team of volunteers. The business name was chosen by the entire team, and the logo developed by a graphic designer in Brisbane (Simone Louise). Simone is a friend of our Treasurer and Technical Expert, Rachael Van der Vlist, and also suggested the word ‘Lotus’ for our consideration. The Lotus flower has its roots in muddy water, however just like our human capacity to overcome adversity, rises above the water to share its beauty to the world. Rachael is also responsible for creating the imagery / words on the back of the shirts. You matter! Indeed, we all matter, and there are times we need to be reminded of this. On wearing her uniform home, taking public transport, one of our volunteers was stopped by a person who said ‘thank you for wearing your uniform, I needed to see that today’. The semi-colon reminds us that this is not the end, there is more to come. Project Semicolon is an American nonprofit organisation known for its advocacy of mental health wellness and its focus as an anti-suicide initiative. Check out Project Semi-Colon at https://www.facebook.com/projectsemicolon/

Annual Report

You matter!

;

this is not the end

admin@lotusinc.org.au
0491 640 320 Anglican Community Centre 2 Leslie St Mandurah WA 6210 PO Box 4136 Mandurah North WA 6210
Lotus Support & Counselling Services Incorporated ABN 70 279 178 249
Funding gratefully received though the Community Partnership Fund
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