Counselling and emotional support
Please be aware that, given a high level of demand, there is a waiting list after assessment before being allocated to a counsellor.
We offer counselling and emotional support, with sessions taking place by phone, Skype or Zoom (face to face appointments and home visits are not currently available).
This service is open to people with M.E. and carers age 18 and over.
We also now offer a free Young People's Counselling Service, available for young people aged 13 - 18 with either suspected or diagnosed M.E.
One of our recent clients told us:
“It was very uplifting and comforting speaking to the counsellor this morning. It made my wife and I feel that there is someone who fully understands and is prepared to help our beautiful long-suffering daughter.”
Counselling sessions are supportive and therapeutic in nature: they may include strategies and goals on how to deal with depression and anxiety or manage difficult emotions and behaviours. Sessions can be weekly or fortnightly and are booked into the diary on a regular basis. Counselling may be time-limited or ongoing.
Counsellors can also offer emotional support sessions on request. These are by definition supportive in nature and the emphasis is on listening and offering emotional and practical support. Emotional support is open-ended and you are not limited to any number of session. In any week, following your initial appointment, you can phone, email or text your counsellor and request an emotional support session for that particular week. Each session will be only on request from you (ie. your counsellor will not schedule regular sessions.
Read about our counsellors on our clinical team page.
What this service doesn't offer
We are not able to offer emergency appointments or crisis support.
Our counsellors are not able to support people with broader mental health issues, including historical trauma, or other defined conditions; these should be addressed by specialist services. Please contact Mind's Infoline for mental health information and signposting.
How to refer yourself for counselling or emotional support
You can make a self-referral by:
- completing our Healthcare Services self-referral form, which also has a Bursary section for those seeking help with fees
- calling us on 0117 927 9551 if you'd prefer to talk things through with one of our friendly Information and Support team. Please note this team cannot answer any clinical questions.
When we receive your completed self-referral form, our Healthcare Administrator will contact you to confirm receipt. You will then be contacted by a counsellor who will offer a free initial telephone conversation lasting up to 30 minutes. This one-off session is designed to explore your particular circumstances in order to get an understanding of how we can effectively work together.
Once you have sessions booked in, your counsellor will contact you at the agreed time for your sessions. If the counsellor does not get a response, they will leave a message and phone again five minutes later. If the counsellor does not get a response to the second call, they will leave a second message inviting you to contact him/her again at another time.
Fees for this service
As a charity, we charge fees only to cover our costs. We aim to keep our fees affordable, and help is available for those in financial need. Help with up to 50% of fees may be available, depending on your circumstances.
Fees for counselling and emotional support are as follows:
- FREE assessment call: You will be offered a free 30-minute phone call, in order to get an understanding of how best we can help you.
- Sessions will cost £30 for up to 30 minutes and £60 for up to 50 minutes.
Cancelling your appointment
We request 24 hours’ notice of cancellation, and reserve the right to charge 50% of the fee should less notice be given. If you are in receipt of a bursary award, then a portion of this will be allocated to the cancellation charge.
