Winchester Youth Counselling - supporting parents

Aim

To provide support and help parents gain a better understanding of the issues and challenges their children are struggling with.

Parent Consultations, (support for parents).

We are fundraising to allow us to offer free Parent Consultations.

Parenting isn’t always easy and sometimes it can feel overwhelming, especially when you find yourself in the middle of a pandemic, faced with a whole new set of challenges and your child is struggling.   At Winchester Youth Counselling we understand how distressing it can be for parents to watch their child border on, or go through, a mental health crisis. 

As well as offering free counselling to the young person we would like to offer support to parents/carers by giving them the opportunity to talk through how and why they think their child is struggling.  These sessions can help parents think through the issues affecting their child/young person and help them gain a better understanding of how they can help. We hope this will also allow the parent to feel supported and will help the family as a whole.

At the moment, many young people are dealing with anxiety and depression so we will also offer tips and advice to parents to help them support their child's mental health during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.  

We have stayed open throughout the pandemic and continue to deliver counselling online or on the telephone.  

February 2021 - Winchester Youth Counselling is the recipient of a High Sheriff of Hampshire Community Award, for their commitment and dedication to supporting disadvantaged and vulnerable people, particularly during the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our story

Winchester Youth Counselling, (WYC), opened its doors in 2003 to provide therapeutic support to young people, aged 11-25, living in the district of Winchester.   

The emotional well-being of young people is important to us and counselling can help young people to understand their thoughts, feelings and emotions in greater depth. 

Since 2003, WYC  has helped over 2000 young people.   Each year, our referrals increase but our values remain the same as we continue to offer non-judgemental, confidential support to young people living in the district of Winchester and make a positive difference to their lives. 

Our vision

Our vision is to improve the emotional health and well-being of young people aged 11-25, living in the district of Winchester so they can reach their full potential and thrive.

Our team

Our dedicated counsellors, (including our volunteer counsellors), are all professionally trained and receive appropriate supervision.  They are supported by the Service Manager, the Clinical Lead and administration staff.  Our organisation is led by a group of hardworking Trustees who ensure the charity is run in the interests of the young people it is there to support.  

Projects

We are always looking at new ways of offering support to young people.  As well as face to face counselling we also provide:

Walk and Talk therapy - where young people are encouraged to explore emotional issues whilst walking outdoors in a natural environment. 

Nature Therapy -where young people attend free Nature Therapy sessions in conjunction with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.  Sessions include cooking over a campfire, wildlife observation, stream dipping and arts and craft activities.  Spending time in Nature can help reduce stress, anxiety and improve emotional health and well-being.  During lockdown we are holding online sessions.

De-stress, relax and chill - one to one free individual relaxation and well-being sessions with a therapist to encourage a sense of physical, emotional and mental well-being.

We operate within professional and ethical guidelines and maintain confidentiality at all times.

Quotes from our clients

‘My counsellor has been a wonderful help to me. She has helped me explore my experiences and confront issues I had been afraid of facing before. This has bought be clarity and acceptance of mind.’

‘I have gained an understanding on how to manage my emotions, it has made a huge difference in my everyday life.’

‘After counselling at WYC, I have gained a lot of confidence and great advice has made a big difference and helped me move on.’

‘I built a very strong relationship with my counsellor straight away and always felt very comfortable to be able to talk about anything.’

Thank you for taking the time to find out more about us.  Your support will enable us to help young people, parents and families through a difficult time.

We would like to thank everyone who has supported us.  Your generosity will help us make a difference to the lives of young people and their families.

This project successfully funded on 30th March 2021