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Free Young People's Counselling

Our Free Young People's Counselling Service

We know that living with ME, and the lack of understanding of the condition, can make you feel isolated and frustrated.

We’re here to help.

We’re not an emergency or crisis service, but there is still help available. If you need to speak to someone urgently speak to a trusted adult or contact your local GP. Alternatively, call the NHS on 111.

Our counsellors understand ME and the impact that it can have on young people’s lives. They’re here to listen to you and to ensure you get the support that you need.

What is Counselling?

What is confidentiality?

Your conversations with our counsellors are confidential. This means when you tell them something, they shouldn't tell anyone else.

However, there are a few exceptions when we may have to break confidentiality in order to keep you safe.

These exceptions are:

  • If you are at risk of harm
  • Someone you know is at risk of harm
  • You have information about a crime.

Your safety will always remain our priority. It's still important to reach out to us for help if you are concerned about confidentiality

How can you get help?

Our Young People's Counselling Service is currently available for young people, aged 13-18, with either suspected or diagnosed ME.

Thanks to generous support from The Prudence Trust, this service will be available to young people aged 11-18, from March 2025.

There are three ways you can access our support:

  1. Yourself: you can complete our self-referral form
  2. Parent / Carer: they may be concerned about you and can refer you on your behalf
  3. Professionals: you may already be receiving support from other services. They can refer you to us if they think we can support you further, but you will need to provide consent for this referral to be made to us.

What happens next?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do I have to pay for this service?

No, our Young People's Counselling Service is free of charge.

Who can use this service?

To be eligible for counselling, young people will need to have been diagnosed with ME or pre-diagnosis but presenting aligning symptoms.

The age criteria is 13 – 18 years. This means that children can apply for counselling aged 18 right up to the day before their 19th birthday. From March 2025, it will be available for young people aged 11-18.

This means that they won’t be denied any sessions even though they have technically reached the age cut off limit.

How old do I have to be to access this service?

Our free Young People's Counselling Service is available for people aged 13-18. If you are over the aged over 18, please visit our page for adults counselling. From March 2025, this service will be available for young people aged 11-18.

How many sessions can I have?

You will have the option of up to 12 sessions and can work this out with your counsellor.

How long is a session?

Sessions will be either 30 or 50 minutes long.


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