Counselling FAQs

You are eligible if:

• You are aged 11-25
• You live in the district of Winchester

If you are unsure whether your home address is in our district, please contact us to check. If you are not in our area, we will do our best to provide details of an alternative counselling service local to you. 

• By phone or email
• Or you can be referred by someone else

Visit our contact us page for details.

Counselling will give you an opportunity to:

• Talk to an experienced counsellor
• Explore your thoughts and feelings in a calm, non-judgemental way
• Better understand why you feel the way you do
• Work through your challenging issues with the help of your counsellor
• Learn tools and coping strategies

No matter the problem you are facing, whether it be bullying, abuse, sexuality, drug or alcohol use or anything else, Winchester Youth Counselling can provide a safe place to tackle these issues with the guidance and support of our dedicated professional counsellors.

• We have a team of counsellors, some paid and some volunteers.
• All counsellors have, or are working towards a recognised counselling diploma, BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) or equivalent.
• All our counsellors have a wealth of experience working with both adults and young people.
• Our counsellors have knowledge and experience in a variety of disciplines including bereavement and loss, relationships, sexuality, depression and anxiety and more. You made be offered other therapies, such as Nature Therapy, De-stress, Relax and Chill or Wellbeing Therapy.

You will be matched with a counsellor that is most appropriate to help you depending on the service you need.

We recognise it can be difficult to discuss certain topics with a particular gender and in these cases we will do our best to match you with a counsellor that is right for you. If you want to specify a male or female counsellor please let us know either when you first contact us, or in your initial meeting and, wherever possible, we will do our best to accommodate this.

We will aim to make you feel as comfortable as possible.

1. We will send you a referral form to complete.
2. The referral will be reviewed by our senior counsellors; this is to make sure we are the right service to help you.
3. We will then offer you an introductory meeting with one of our senior counsellors, ideally within a month of your first contact. If we feel that we are not the right service to help you, we will try to signpost to another organisation.
4. Our senior counsellor will listen to you, explain how counselling may help and discuss possible therapies with you. This is a great opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have. (It may be that we cannot provide the type of help you need, if this is the case, you will be advised of other services that may be more appropriate.)
5. You will then be placed on our waiting list.
6. There may be some time to wait but the next step is to offer ongoing counselling or another therapy.

At our new counselling offices in Winchester.

The Winchester Centre
68 St George’s Street
Winchester
SO23 8AH

In some cases, we can offer online counselling.

On our referral form we ask for your availability, using the information you have provided,  we will do our best to offer a day and time that works for you. Evening appointments tend to be in high demand, therefore if you are able to attend during the day we may be able to offer you an appointment a little sooner.

From the first appointment, you will be given weekly slots on the same day and time each week.

Please note that we are closed on weekends.

As a registered charity and thanks to the generosity of our supporters, there is no charge for our service.

If you are able to make a contribution to the cost of your counselling sessions it will be gratefully received however there is no obligation to do so.

Each counselling session last for 50 minutes.

We do not limit the number of counselling sessions, our aim is work through the issues until you, or your counsellor, feels the time is right to finish counselling.

You will discuss with your counsellor ending the sessions once you both feel it is appropriate, however, you are free to end at any time, we just ask you to give us advance notice so we can offer the space to someone on our waiting list.

Please let us know as soon as possible through the below contacts:

• Email us
• Call us on 01962 820444, leave us a message if we are unable to answer.

Confidentiality is a key priority for us and anything that is discussed with your counsellor will be in confidence.

If we feel the safety of yourself or others may be at risk, we may be required to disclose information in the interest of protection. If this occurs, wherever possible, it will be discussed with you first and your consent will be obtained.

To view our confidentiality policy, get in touch and we are more than happy to send you a copy.

Yes, there is a lift for access to all floors.

The building is equipped with disabled toilet facilities.

Yes, if you are aged 11-25 and live in the district of Winchester our service is open to you.

Please let us know your additional needs so we can accommodate you and provide the appropriate support.

Our counsellors are experienced in working with people with many conditions and will do their best to tailor sessions to your needs.

Most of counselling is carried out in English but we do have counsellors who speak some additional languages. Please let us know if you would prefer to work in another language and we will see if it is possible.

Yes, there is a seating area for you to wait ahead of your session and your counsellor will call you from here when it is time for your appointment.

Your sessions are designed to be one-to-one with a trained professional and we aim to give you the space and time to talk and be heard confidentially, therefore, you are free to bring someone with you, however, we ask that they wait in our waiting area whilst your counselling session takes place.

In some cases, if you wish for your counsellor to meet someone, a short introduction can be arranged but your counsellor will never discuss the contents of your sessions with anyone who accompanies you.

Winchester Youth Counselling will always strive to put your comfort and well-being first however, we understand that problems can occur and you may wish to speak with someone else.

We recommend discussing this first with your counsellor as they are here to help but if you would rather speak to someone else, please contact our CEO, Erin McMurtry on 01962 820444 or by email.