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Text: 021 289 8727
Pregnancy Counselling Services is always looking for suitable volunteers.
- Are you passionate about assisting women to make informed choices about their pregnancy and well being?
- Are you a good listener, non-judgmental, compassionate and caring?
- Do you receive personal satisfaction from helping people?
- Are you willing and able to commit some of your time and skills on a weekly basis?
This could be your opportunity to serve in a caring team environment, working largely from home, developing new skills and meeting like minded people.
Training and assessment would be provided before you begin telephone or face to face counselling.
If you are interested in becoming a voluntary Pregnancy Counsellor, please phone or email us, as below. We would love to hear from you.
Other ways you could help us
If you would prefer to assist us in other areas such as administration, advertising, fundraising or networking with other agencies, we encourage you to contact us and offer your skills.
Contact the National Administration Office Phone: (07) 838 3076
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Post: P.O. Box 938 Hamilton 3240
What is Pregnancy Counselling Services?
PCS is registered with the Charities Commission as a non-profit, non-religious and non-political organization, CC29761.
PCS provides free counselling and other support to anyone involved in a worrying pregnancy. It also offers face to face counselling when this is practicable and desired by the client. The counsellors operate according to the Privacy Act, protecting the confidentiality of clients.
PCS was founded in Auckland in 1980 and registered as a charitable trust in 1984. The advisory board includes professionals in the fields of psychology, medicine and law.
All counsellors are volunteers who have been carefully selected and trained before going on the phones. Some administrative work is carried out by paid staff.
PCS has 12 branches throughout New Zealand, from Whangarei to Dunedin and contact people in several other centres.
What are the aims of PCS?
- To help women make fully informed choices about their pregnancies.
- To enable any woman distressed about a pregnancy, and those involved with her, to cope better with the pregnancy and the birth of her child.
- To provide recovery counselling for women or men suffering distress after an abortion.
How do people get in touch with PCS?
PCS runs a 24-hour, 7-day telephone service. Clients have the choice of a national free call 0800 line, email, text or a series of local calling numbers. Click here for Contact Us page.
What style of counselling does PCS use?
PCS counsellors are trained in the use of Reality Counselling, in which the realities of the client's situation are explored. These are seen as:
- The reality of any difficulties she faces regarding health, relationships, education, work, finance, etc
- The reality of the child she carries, his gestation, his potential
- The reality of her choices, (including parenting, abortion, closed or open adoption, whangai or shared guardianship) and the possible consequences of these choices
- The reality of support systems upon which she can draw, issuing from partner, family, community, PCS or her faith
- The reality of her personal values, goals and religious beliefs.
The counsellor endeavours to clarify the client's individual issues, possible solutions and the steps she could take to resolve any dilemmas.
What practical help does PCS offer?
PCS will endeavour to help the client with any need she may have, such as suitable accommodation, government support, medical or legal advice, continuing education, baby clothes or equipment. Click here for our Support in Pregnancy page.
Does PCS help with adoptions?
Yes, PCS provides initial information and counselling then refers the client to the Adoption Information and Services Unit of CYF (Child Youth & Family) in facilitating adoptions. We can provide support for either the birth family or adoptive couple throughout and after an adoption.
How can you help PCS?
You can join the group of financial supporters who contribute to our six monthly appeals or make a bequest in your will. Please contact the National Administration Office (07 838 3076) or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Or if you would like to make a one off donation, please go to our page on the Givealittle website.
You can also donate goods or services which would be useful to pregnant women and their families. Look for a local branch on our Contact Us page.
If you are interested in becoming a voluntary counsellor, or using your skills to help us in some other way, contact your nearest branch or the national office. Click here for Contact Us page.
Men can have issues around pregnancy, abortion, adoption and their partner's decisions.
During pregnancy:
Are you finding it frustrating that you can’t make the final decision about this pregnancy – only your partner can? Do you want her to keep the baby but she wants a termination; or do you want her to terminate but she wants to carry on with the pregnancy?
Do you want more information about abortions, time frames, costs, risks, after effects?
Do you want to know what help is available if you have no family support, or your budget is fully stretched, or you need a place to stay?
Are you separating from your girlfriend and you have concerns about custody or access to this child, or support payments, once it is born?
You are very welcome to call us and talk about your perspective, concerns and questions.
After a termination
Are you still angry or frustrated at the choice your partner or wife made?
Are you noticing reactions in her, such as withdrawal, grief or anger?
Are you grieving yourself and didn’t expect this?
Phone us to talk it through We can help you understand yourself and your partner better. We may have a male counsellor available for you to talk to.
Recovery after abortion
Abortion can be a very painful experience, especially if you felt pressured into it, had mixed feelings about it or received little counselling and support at the time.
Someone safe to talk to
Afterwards it can be hard to discuss it with others for fear of them judging, embarrassing or rejecting you. You need to talk to someone who understands, listens, and doesn't condemn.
Someone who keeps it confidential.
You may be finding that thoughts about the abortion disrupt your concentration by day or nightmares disturb your sleep at night.
You may be drinking more heavily than you used to, trying to forget.
Perhaps feelings of sorrow, anger or anxiety well up when you least expect them. Your relationship with your husband, partner or children may have been badly affected by all this.
We can help
We have counsellors who are specially trained to help you work through grief, anger, guilt and other issues so that you are able to function normally again. We can meet with you somewhere to talk in private, where you can express your pain and turmoil, come to understand yourself better and recover from what may have been a traumatic experience. This service is completely free.
Call Pregnancy Counselling Services, 0800 773 462 (0800 PREGNANT), any time of the day or night, to talk to someone about a past abortion that is troubling you or someone close to you.
You may also want to look at the P.A.T.H.S. website www.postabortionpaths.org.nz for further information.
There are many reasons why you may be upset about an unplanned pregnancy. You may feel you are too young for motherhood, you may not be in a stable relationship or you may already be struggling to manage as a single parent.
How can PCS help?
If you are thinking of adoption, PCS can help you to understand the adoption process in New Zealand and support you while you decide what is best for you and your baby.
This is not a decision you need to rush into. You can spend the rest of your pregnancy giving it consideration, talking to your counsellor, finding out more and keeping a journal of your thoughts and feelings. You may want to discuss your plans with your partner or family.
Some women choose to have an “open” adoption, where they meet the adoptive family, know who they are and where they live, and then keep in touch as the child grows up. You can also choose a “closed” adoption where you have helped choose the family, according to the file about them, but don’t ask for their name or address.
Call PCS and talk to one of our counsellors about what is involved in adoption and how you feel about it – ph 0800 773 462 (0800 PREGNANT) or visit these sites for more information and personal stories:
http://www.adoptionoption.org.nz/
www.cyf.govt.nz/adoption/placing-your-child-for-adoption
Teenage Birth Mother’s Story of Open Adoption:
I became pregnant to someone who wasn't my boyfriend at the time, when I was 17. This was the worst thing that could happen to me, as I was so young and was also from a religious background, and went to a Christian school and had Christian friends and family. When I learnt I was pregnant I was in shock and felt it was unreal. My immediate reaction was the desire to have a quick termination and not tell anyone I was pregnant. That way, I thought no one would ever know and I could get on with my life as if it never happened. I ran away from home and stayed away for a few days. However, I quickly accepted that I was deceiving myself, that I would never be able to keep it a secret forever, so I came back home. Fortunately I have very supportive parents, and even though they were upset with the position I was in, they still loved me and wanted to support me, as long as I cleaned up my act.
So I moved back home. Keeping the baby was never an option for me as I wasn't ready for the responsibility. But having a termination was no longer an option now that I was back home and trying to clean up my act. So I decided on adoption. Nine months of being pregnant at the age of 17 seemed like a very long time at the beginning, but the time went fast and giving birth to a baby was the most rewarding experience I have ever been through. I don't think anything quite compares. And even though I wasn't able to keep bubs, I was prepared for that and giving her away to a loving and caring family wasn't as hard as some people think.
I get along with the baby's family very well, and have the chance to see her around once every month or two. It is a relaxed arrangement and is a matter of whenever suits myself and the parents. Open adoption has, in my mind, been for everyone the very best answer to a really difficult situation. The parents get a chance to bring up a child and call her their own, the child is given a loving family and everything she should have growing up, and I am secure in the knowledge that she is safe and happy and that I made the best decision for her wellbeing. She is beautiful and smart, and I am proud of her but I never regret the decision to entrust her care to someone else.
Even though I missed her when she first left, I had such peace knowing that I had made the right decision.
Is pregnancy a difficult time for you?
Do you need someone to talk to, give you information or arrange some practical help?
Some of the things PCS may be able to provide for you:
Emotional support
- Be a sounding board for things you need to talk about
- Provide emotional support throughout your pregnancy if you’re feeling very much alone
- Help you to talk to your partner, husband or parents if that is hard for you
Information
- About medical help – pregnancy tests, midwives, doctors, childbirth education
- Tips for coping with morning sickness
- Where to go for budgeting, food parcels or financial help from the government
- How you can continue your education through pregnancy and beyond
Practical help
- Transport to medical appointments
- Help in finding suitable and affordable accommodation
- Searching for cheap baby clothes and equipment
- Finding some home help or childcare if you are very sick during pregnancy
Referral
If you have needs that require specialised help we will try to refer you to the right people, for instance for relationship counselling, budgeting or emergency accommodation.
Is adoption something you’d like to know more about? See our Adoption page.
Are you thinking of having an abortion? See our Considering Abortion page.
Feel free to call us at 0800 PREGNANT (0800 773 462) or for email, text, local numbers or mailing address see Contact page
You may be considering an abortion because your pregnancy seems ill timed. You may be in the midst of studies or have recently taken on a new job, you may be having problems with your partner or you just think you are not ready to have this child.
Take your time
At Pregnancy Counselling Services we are here to listen and let you talk about your concerns before making a decision. It is vital that you feel in control of your decision making and that the final choice about this pregnancy is yours.
Many women who have had an abortion say that their decision was made either because they felt pressured or they thought they had no other choice.
Making a decision
We encourage you to understand your options so that you can make a fully informed decision about your pregnancy. The important thing to consider before deciding to have an abortion is that this action is irreversible and can affect you for the rest of your life.
Are you fully informed?
To make an informed choice you need to understand some of the possible physical and emotional consequences of abortion. It may be spoken of as a medically safe procedure, but you need to be aware of possible physical and psychological effects. For instance, a study by Professor David Fergusson* and colleagues in Canterbury, New Zealand, showed that young women with no previous history of mental health problems had a higher rate of symptoms such as the following, after choosing to have an abortion, as compared to those who chose to give birth to a child:
- Anger
- Self-harm
- Abuse of drugs and alcohol
- Anxiety
- Suicidal thoughts or attempts.
*See Study by Professor Fergusson et al at http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/193/6/444.abstract
Feel free to call us 0800 PREGNANT (773 462)
Have you considered talking confidentially to one of our counsellors? We are here to listen and to help you consider your choices so that you can make sound decisions for yourself.
A counsellor is available to you on the telephone 24 hours a day (or in person by appointment). You can also contact us by email or text. Remember our services are free.
