LOW-COST COUNSELLING

Sometimes life is difficult, and sometimes we can all feel like we just don’t have what we need to take on the challenges we are facing.

Life can be tough, and there are moments when we feel like we lack the strength or resources to face the challenges ahead.

It’s increasingly normal to feel “off,” but that doesn’t mean we should settle into that feeling. Therapy offers a powerful way to help you shift from feeling “not OK” to finding your way back to a place of balance and well-being.

Talking to a trained and caring person can help you find your way through your difficulties into a calmer and easier space, where you can find compassion for yourself and a path to personal growth and change.

Every journey is a little easier when made alongside a caring and supportive fellow traveller, and at The New Futures Project we want to support you through providing a low-cost counselling service, with short waiting times, to help you when you need support.

What is counselling?

Counselling is a safe and confidential working relationship where you can explore your feelings, experiences, and difficulties which you may be having, with another person in a professional relationship.

You might be experiencing anxiety or depression, work or relationship difficulties, abuse either in the past or present, stress or grief.

You may not be feeling OK about yourself or life and not sure of the reason why.

There are many reasons for seeking a supportive and professional relationship to help you with the challenges that life can bring up.

Your sessions will happen at the same time on the same day each week with the same counsellor for up to 6 months.

It is important that you commit to this routine, as this allows you to develop a good working relationship with your counsellor and to work at a pace with them that feels comfortable for you.

You may not choose to take the entire 6 months but that is your choice, and your counsellor will support you to regularly review the work you are doing together.

How it works

All our low-cost counselling service work is done online or by phone.

You can self-refer to our service by completing an initial information form through our website

Once you have completed your initial information form, you will be invited to attend an assessment session online with one of our experienced counsellors. This session is normally around 45 minutes and is not a counselling session, but we will discuss your needs and take some personal history to help us identify your requirements and which of our counsellors might be more appropriate for you.

You will also have an opportunity to ask questions about counselling and the service that we offer, and check this is the right service for you.

We will ask you to confirm your availability for sessions at this point.

There is a charge of £15 for assessment sessions.

Our Counsellors

All our counsellors are volunteers and many of them are in training on their journey towards qualification.

We do have qualified counsellors working within our low-cost service, and you will be assigned to the counsellor (in-training or qualified) that best suits your needs following an assessment session.

Our counsellors come from a range of theoretical backgrounds including Person Centred, Integrative, and CBT, however, they all have the same therapeutic intent, to meet your needs and support you to explore your feelings in the most appropriate way for you.

All our counsellors receive regular professional clinical supervision to support their practise and to ensure their work with you is ethical, safe, and in your best interests.

Fees

Although all our volunteer counsellors work without payment, we do ask clients to contribute each week by paying a low-cost counselling fee. Our fee structure is:

Minimum of £15 per session (if you are on benefits or earn up to £15,000 per year.)

For each £1,000 per year, you earn above £15,000, we ask you to pay an additional £1 per session.

For example.

If you earn £17,000 per year, we ask that you pay £17 per sessionIf you earn £25,000 per year, we ask that you pay £25 per session.

We will not ask you to prove your income, but we do require payment each week and that you commit to attending each week regularly and pay for your session in advance each week.

Your fees contribute to the running of both our counselling service and the important work that the charity does