The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Murdered man’s daughter to open trauma centre
Bethany Haines wants to help other youngsters in similar situation
The daughter of murdered Scottish hostage David Haines is planning to set up a trauma counselling centre for youngsters in her father’s memory.
Bethany Haines revealed the plan, saying she wanted to follow in the caring footsteps of her aid worker father.
The 20-year-old has taken up an access to humanities course at Perth College and said her own experience of tragedy and horror was fuelling her ambition.
She said: “I want to do trauma counselling. That was my dad’s dream. He said when he was being held captive that he wanted to open a stress centre.
“Hopefully, I can carry on that dream and make it a reality. I felt personally that I wasn’t being told enough or being given the right kind of support at times.
“My aim is to create a place where teenagers who are going through these traumatic experiences can speak in a relaxed way with other teenagers in the same situation.”
Bethany, from Perth, has admitted falling into drink and drug misuse as a result of the 17 months knowing her father was being held captive by Isis and then his gruesome death.
She then became involved in an abusive and controlling relationship which led to her former boyfriend Andrew Murray admitting in court last week that he had tormented her for six months.
“I had access to counsellors and obviously my mum too but when you are that age you have so much other stuff going on that it is easier to talk with people your own age,” she said.
“I just want it (the centre) to be a place where they can open up and not feel they are having to hide a big part of themselves. Being a teenager you have your own traumas to deal with.
“I want to help other young people in traumatic situations where they have no one else they can depend upon. Sometimes, parents just don’t really get it.”
The mother-of-one said she spoke out about her emotional breakdown and substance misuse after Murray threatened to expose her publicly.
He is awaiting sentence after he admitted stalking Bethany and cruelly tearing up a treasured 45-page scrapbook she had filled with memories of her late father.
“The reason I decided to give an interview to a magazine and disclose everything I had ever done was that he had threatened to tell everyone about my past,” she said.
“He wouldn’t let me watch the news or talk about what happened to my dad. Having to hold it in led me back to the really dark place I was in after my dad’s death.
“I still struggle sometimes and I still struggle getting close to people but I have got my confidence back and I see a positive future for myself at last.
“I want to do something that would have made my dad proud. When we did see each other we were very close.”
Sir, - I was, until three days ago, a member of the SNP.
I resigned from the SNP because of its so called ‘education policy’ and, in particular, the Scottish Government’s intention of giving more powers to head teachers.
Given there is a shortage of classroom teachers, particularly in subjects such as maths and the three main sciences, I would have expected any Scottish Government to focus on recruiting suitably qualified people into the teaching profession rather than wasting time granting powers to head teachers.
I noted Ms Sturgeon did not contradict Alex Rowley or other party leaders when he stated there were 4,000 fewer classroom teachers in Scottish schools than when the SNP first came to power 10 years ago.
I was a teacher for 38 years serving in a variety of schools in Ayrshire, Dundee and Angus reaching the position of depute head teacher from which I retired last year.
I was also a teacher of mathematics.
I assure you there is indeed a serious shortage of mathematics teachers in this part of Scotland and I find it incredulous more thought is being given to giving head teachers increased powers rather than find solutions to this chronic shortage.
I would hope readers would challenge the Scottish Government on this ‘policy’ and I would urge them to pressure the Scottish Government into solving teacher shortages not only in Dundee and Angus but across Scotland as a whole. Robert Funai. 2 Hazelton Way, Broughty Ferry.