- Lonely Christmas for 50,000
- Herald Sun
- 13/12/2004 Make a Comment
- Contributed by: admin ( 100 articles in 2004 )
CHRISTMAS could prove a time of acute loneliness and distress for 50,000 newly separated or divorced men as they face the holiday alone for the first time.
Terry Melvin, manager of national telephone counselling service Mensline Australia, said staff were preparing for another onslaught of calls this yuletide.
Mr Melvin estimated about 50,000 Australian men will experience a first Christmas without their partners and, in many cases, their children.
"Traditionally, Christmas is about giving, sharing and spending time with the family," Mr Melvin said.
"But for men whose family has fallen apart, Christmas can be a time of acute loneliness, distress and even desperation.
"Some men have trouble coping for up to 10 years after separation."
More than 100,000 men called Mensline Australia during 2004.
The service is managed by Crisis Support Services, whose chief executive officer Wendy Sturgess said that before the Christmas holiday period, men often reported high anxiety over access issues.
"They are concerned they won't get to see their kids, and after Christmas we get a spate of calls from men who haven't been able to get access," Ms Sturgess said.
"We try to remind them that Christmas is one day of the year and a strong relationship with their children needs to be maintained throughout the whole year.
"We tell them, too, that not everyone has a picture postcard perfect Christmas and they are not alone. There are a lot of people who find Christmas a difficult time."
Ms Sturgess said Mensline would be staffed on Christmas Day.
Mr Melvin said an increasing number of men were realising that talking about their concerns and options could help them to better cope with their situation.
Which leaves Mensline Australia with a desperate need for more counsellors to answer the growing number of calls each year, he said.
Mensline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and provides anonymous support, information and referral for men dealing with family and relationship concerns.
The phone service is operated by paid and volunteer counsellors.
Terry Melvin, manager of national telephone counselling service Mensline Australia, said staff were preparing for another onslaught of calls this yuletide.
Mr Melvin estimated about 50,000 Australian men will experience a first Christmas without their partners and, in many cases, their children.
"Traditionally, Christmas is about giving, sharing and spending time with the family," Mr Melvin said.
"But for men whose family has fallen apart, Christmas can be a time of acute loneliness, distress and even desperation.
"Some men have trouble coping for up to 10 years after separation."
More than 100,000 men called Mensline Australia during 2004.
The service is managed by Crisis Support Services, whose chief executive officer Wendy Sturgess said that before the Christmas holiday period, men often reported high anxiety over access issues.
"They are concerned they won't get to see their kids, and after Christmas we get a spate of calls from men who haven't been able to get access," Ms Sturgess said.
"We try to remind them that Christmas is one day of the year and a strong relationship with their children needs to be maintained throughout the whole year.
"We tell them, too, that not everyone has a picture postcard perfect Christmas and they are not alone. There are a lot of people who find Christmas a difficult time."
Ms Sturgess said Mensline would be staffed on Christmas Day.
Mr Melvin said an increasing number of men were realising that talking about their concerns and options could help them to better cope with their situation.
Which leaves Mensline Australia with a desperate need for more counsellors to answer the growing number of calls each year, he said.
Mensline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and provides anonymous support, information and referral for men dealing with family and relationship concerns.
The phone service is operated by paid and volunteer counsellors.
1Will not be visible to public.
2Receive notification of other comments posted for this article. To cease notification after having posted click here.
3To make a link clickable in the comments box enclose in link tags - ie.<link>Link</link>.
4To show an image enclose the image URL in tags - ie.<image>https://fredspage.com/box.jpg</image>. Note: image may be resized if too large
To further have your say, head to our forum Click Here
To contribute a news article Click Here
To view or contribute a Quote Click Here