This is a service update for our Counselling Services. Find out all about our approach to counselling, how we ensure best practice, how we monitor outcomes and how to access the services.
Our person-centred approach to counselling
Our Counselling service is still being delivered via telephone, video call and can be accessed by calling our helpline. Our counsellors are available to support women and children, and will continue to do so via identified safe and secure methods.
We have a well-established, well-led counselling team that operates efficiently with professionalism, adaptability, and a commitment to helping clients complete their experiences with a successful outcome and a promising future! Counselling is available in the following languages: English, Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, Pashto (Afghan), Arabic, Somali, Miburi, Swahili, Italian and Turkish.
Our clients present with a huge variety of issues ranging from depression and anxiety, to PTSD and severe trauma reactions to their experiences. Their presenting issues include lack of self-esteem, self-worth, confidence and inability to function with a regulated lifestyle, nightmares, suicidal and self-harming behaviour and isolation from friends and family. The list is endless, and the varying therapeutic skills of the team can work interchangeably to assist clients in their journey.
Our approach to counselling is to lead with Person-Centred Therapy (PCT) which focuses on the voice, feelings, emotions and perceptions of the client. However, we appreciate that integrated counselling offers more opportunities to explore all issues. We can therefore integrate any of the following options, depending on the client’s needs.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) provides more of a guided therapy that is particularly useful for younger clients and assists with working on thoughts and behaviours associated with feelings.
Gestalt Therapy
Deeper issues with an individual can be addressed via the empty chair (Gestalt therapy), encouraging the client to ‘talk’ to the one person they hold so much in for.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy allows deeper investigation into the childhood and historical issues, discovering the effects those may have on the here and now.
Feminist Counselling
The feminist counselling perspective provides counsellors with the opportunity to guide clients based on their personal experience, assisting in coming together with those who have been through similar situations.
Jungian Therapy
Jungian therapy allows unconscious elements of the psyche into conscious thought for further discovery and meaningful searching.
Transactional Analysis
Transactional Analysis assesses and recognises those behaviours that relate to parent adult and child roles, which can be so significant for some clients who can be ‘stuck’ in a childlike state for example.
Trained & Qualified
Staff & Volunteers
- All our staff and volunteer counsellors are qualified to a minimum of Level 5 Counselling or are working towards Level 5.
- The team includes counsellors with diverse backgrounds and varying skill areas.
- In-house training and external CPD ensures that counsellors remain au fait with all up to date issues, concerns and commonalities.
- Regular team meetings and Peer Group Supervision gives staff an opportunity to discuss key areas, share knowledge and skills across the team.
Regular Monitoring
Satisfaction surveys are completed by clients at the end of each client journey and quarterly questionnaires are also sent out to clients for assessing clients thought and benefits from the service.
This helps to:
- Gain client’s perspective of the experience
- Assist in constructive criticism and assisted growth in trainee and qualified counsellors
- Improve, change, adapt and succeed in ensuring services continually meet the needs of the clients.
Best feedback practices
Improved mental health and wellbeing
Ultimately – our approach means that our clients are benefitting from the counselling they receive and are experiencing improvements to their mental health and general wellbeing. On average, most of our clients enter the service with severe depression and severe anxiety. And by the time they have completed their counselling sessions, they sit at the ‘mild’ rating for both depression and anxiety.
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Information to consider if you are thinking about leaving an abusive relationship.
Health & Wellbeing Guide
Information to improve your mental health if you are feeling worried and anxious.
Domestic Abuse Guide
Information to help you recognise abuse if you are unsure about what it is.