On 20 April Karen Morgan, Trustee, visited Gloucestershire Counselling Service (GCS) to present a grant of £1,000 which the Trustees had agreed at their March meeting.
GCS is a Gloucestershire-based counselling charity. Since 1984 it has provided professional therapeutic support to adults, children and young people experiencing psychological distress. It delivers counselling across Stroud, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Cirencester as well as in schools and online via their BACP Accredited Service. GCS works closely with local VCSE partners and statutory services to support vulnerable individuals, including those affected by domestic abuse, inequality and financial hardship. In 2024/25 some 1,100 individuals accessed their 12,000 counselling sessions.
The grant will subsidise counselling sessions for Gloucestershire residents experiencing poor mental health. Funds raised reduce assessment fees, along with the client contribution, to £35 per session, with some spaces also available at £20. GCS fills the gap between talking therapy available on the NHS (usually six sessions of CBT in Gloucestershire) and private practice, increasingly funded by private health insurance.
Website: https://gloscounselling.org.uk/
Photograph shows Karen Morgan, Annie Smith (Head of Engagement), Mathilda Leighton(Fundraising Officer), Ed Weir(Interim CEO).
