Community First PNG Project Initiatives, a venture that offers confidential online counselling care for women and youth, ran a one day  Kid's Counselling Day program on the 1st of October at the Wellness Lodge. Certified Clinical Supervisor, Professional Counsellor, and Child Protection Officer, Dorothy L. Koch, stated that this program was a response to meet children’s mental and behavioral needs. “Many kids are having a lot of issues communicating and experiencing behavioral issues amongst themselves and also towards their parents.” “Maybe those kids have been hurt through physical, sexual, verbal abuse or even bullying. Sometimes they can be affected by family separation; family loss; possibly a loved one passed on and the guardians do not know how to take care of the child.” “This is why we as professional counsellors, we are giving this opportunity to help not only children, but parents and guardians as well.” Presently, the organization does one-on-one therapy support; however, the program offers mass counselling. Koch sees this as a good prospect to impact a greater number of individuals and in turn, contribute to bettering communities. “A lot of these kids have unhealed trauma and do not know who to speak to and when to speak out; and October being the month of mental health, we want to start it off with this counselling program.” Koch added that after at least two years’ time they would like to see more mental hospitals, not just for children, but for adults and people with disabilities. “After 48 years of independence Papua New Guinea still has one psychiatric hospital, which is Laloki.” “We don’t just need financial support from sponsors, but we want people to realize that at the end of the day, these children, make up our family units, our community and our country.”