A whim of his wife’s to visit the Cayman Islands turned into a full-time position which he now deems nothing less than a calling,’ the Sister Islands Department of Counselling Services new counsellor Joachim (JB) Skye informed a ministerial delegation visiting him on the Brac recently.
Mr Skye told Minister for Health and Human Services Mr. Anthony Eden that he will focus on reaching out to the community so people will feel empowered to face their personal challenges. His approach is client-centred/solution-focused and he always encourages them to set their own goals for counselling. His goal is to work towards prevention rather than do crisis management.
‘This is a great island full of people with fortitude and tremendous talents just waiting to be tapped,’ he said, adding that the creative arts will form an integral part of his counselling.
‘People tend to respond to things like the arts, theatre and music, and I would like to use these mediums to change perceptions as well as recreate opinions and attitudes,’ Mr. Skye explained.
Born in Berlin in 1946, he was sent to Venezuela at age seven to live with relatives in a tiny village on the peninsula of Paraguana. He left as a young adult to study in the US where he completed his first master’s degree in counselling.
It was the 9/11 attacks in the US that led him to the Brac for the first time.
‘My wife needed a mental break from the anxiety and wanted to go sit on Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman, but after seeing pictures of the Brac on the Internet, I convinced her to come here instead. The first time I stood on the Bluff, I just knew I was home,’ he told his visitors.
The Skyes subsequently purchased land, built a house and became regular visitors to the island.
‘Then I got a call and was told about this position. I had to think about it for a while – this is serious business. In the end it came down to me feeling a pure and simple calling: I felt it was my destiny to come here and work as a counsellor.’
Being raised in a society that compares in many ways to the Brac gives Mr. Skye an insight into the issues affecting small communities.
‘I feel I have the ability to connect with Brac residents. Village life has a nuance all its own and I grew up in much the same setting,’ he said.
Mr. Skye is a master’s level therapist with professional licensure in counselling and membership in the American Counselling Association. He has 10 years experience working directly with youth, adults and families on a variety of life problems and brings a multi-cultural approach to counselling.
Since taking up the post, he has been overseeing renovations to his office at the Kirkconnell Commercial Centre that will also house the Probation & Aftercare Unit. He has also been networking with colleagues in partner agencies including the Department of Children & Family Services, the Police, in particular the new community police officer, and the Mental Health Services.
‘Part of our goal is to provide the best multi-disciplinary treatment possible,’ said the Clinical Supervisor of the Counselling Centre, Kathryn Dinspel-Powell, adding: ‘Family therapy will also be a comprehensive part of the counselling services offered at the Brac Haven Sister Islands Counselling Centre, as it is the Department’s view that it is essential to include families in the therapeutic process in order to effect positive change in the life of the individual. Mr. Skye is skilled in this area and invites anyone who thinks that they or a member of their family might benefit from some counselling to contact him at 948-2354 or to drop in to the office at the Kirkconnell Commercial Centre between 8.30am and 5.pm, Monday to Friday.’
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