Aviva Community Fund has provided £2,015 of match funding
S.M.I.L.E Counselling for Children & Young People
Bathgate, Scotland, United Kingdom
Aim
We offer free counselling to children & young people age 11-24 in mental health crisis. This money is to help us continue our services.
ABOUT S.M.I.L.E.
S.M.I.L.E Counselling was established in June 2015 and soon after achieved charitable status in Nov 2015. S.M.I.L.E . We offer a free, bespoke counselling service to all children 11-24 across West Lothian.
OUR FOUNDER/C.E.O.
Our Founder, Declan, started S.M.I.L.E. by volunteering his time on evenings and weekends to provide free counselling support to children and young people, before taking on a part-time role with S.M.I.L.E. while working another job. After 2 years, he became a full-time counsellor.
OUR VISION
Our vision is that children and young people should receive support when they need it most. No child should be left behind and have to wait for mental health support or counselling.
OUR GROWTH
First client base: 6 per week
Current client base: 50 per week
Clients supported: 400 +
Counselling hours: 3000 +
THE S.M.I.L.E. TEAM
Our Staff Team has grown from 1 part-time post to 7 (management, counsellors, trainers and admin)
OUR SCHOOL COUNSELLORS
S.M.I.L.E Counselling is now based in 25% of all West Lothian high schools delivering counselling. We aim to have counsellors in every secondary school in our area.
OUR VOLUNTEERS
We have 4 volunteer/trainee counsellors who provide additional counselling hours and who we support through their qualification. We also have 1 social media volunteer who helps us promote the organisation and our services.
OUR TRAINING COURSES
We deliver accredited counselling training through the COSCA Counselling Certificate and have developed a specialist mental health training package that we will deliver across West Lothian, beginning in 2021.
Our aim is to be able to reach out to the whole community. Our training will help and support organisations and individuals to understand mental health , specifically in relation to young people.
COVID - 19
Our work is more important now than ever as COVID-19 has a detrimental impact on all our children and young people. For the first time, S.M.I.L.E. has a growing waiting list.
We have worked throughout the pandemic to deliver counselling via Zoom, Skype, email text and phone, and limited face-to-face sessions in our covid-safe counselling rooms.
YOUR SUPPORT
Your support will enable us to provide additional counselling to meet the needs of children and young people quickly, when it is most needed.
PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN
Aviva Community Fund has provided £1,556 of match funding
This project successfully funded on 23rd March 2021