Eligibility Criteria for Low-Cost Counselling Service
To be eligible for our low-cost counselling service, you must meet the following criteria:
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- Age: 18 years or older.
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- Location: Reside within Greater London.
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- Language: Able to receive counselling in English
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- Healthcare Registration: Registered with a General Practitioner (GP) in Greater London.
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- Commitment: Able to commit to attending weekly sessions at the same time and date each week.
Our Low Cost service supports people who might not be able to afford private therapy, as well as those not wanting to be on long NHS waiting lists. Our affordable fees make accessing counselling easier for people experiencing anxiety, stress and depression, as well as loss, bereavement and relationship issues. Our large, diverse team of counsellors provides a very high standard of support to our clients.
When our service may not be the right support at this time
While we aim to make counselling accessible, there are some situations where this service may not be the most appropriate support at this time. This includes if you are currently experiencing:
- Current suicidal thoughts where there is significant or immediate risk requiring crisis or secondary mental health services
- Current substance dependence where this is the primary presenting difficulty
- Recent bereavement where grief support or specialist bereavement services would be more appropriate initially
- People whose current mental health needs require more specialist or intensive support than our service is able to provide
In these situations, you may benefit from more specialist or intensive support, please contact your GP for more information.
Additional Considerations
Our counsellors have experience supporting a wide range of emotional and psychological difficulties. However, we are a general counselling service rather than a specialist mental health service. This means we may not be the most appropriate service for people whose primary needs relate to severe and enduring mental illness, active addiction, complex neurodevelopmental assessments, or other specialist interventions. Where appropriate, we will discuss alternative sources of support.
Assessment Consultation
We’ll arrange an initial assessment for you to make sure that counselling at WCC is suitable for your current needs. While we aim to make counselling accessible for all, we might not be the right service for you at this time.
At the referral stage and during the assessment, we’ll ask you whether you have any preferences for your counsellor (e.g. gender and ethnicity). While we do our best to take client preferences into account, we can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to meet all of them.
Following your assessment, we will consider whether our service is the best fit for your current needs. If we are unable to offer counselling, we will explain our decision and, where possible, suggest alternative services that may be more appropriate.
If you feel our service can help you, please contact us to arrange an initial consultation.