Press Release
Returning soon! Sandhurst Counselling Service
- Sandhurst Counselling Service announced in March it would stop counselling at end July as a result of loss of Public Sector funding.
- The service has restructured its funding and will restart counselling in September to meet ever increasing local need for mental health support.
Just six months after it announced that loss of public sector funding was forcing Sandhurst Counselling Service (SCS) to close its doors, it is announcing that from 1st September it’s back!
Across the country there is a huge demand for mental health support and the feedback we had through social media demonstrated that the community greatly valued what we have to offer in Sandhurst and Bracknell Forest.
“It has been a tough few months,” says Dave Percival, Chair of SCS, “but with a lot of hard work by all involved we will begin onboarding new clients from 1st September. We have a new Clinical Manager, a team of practitioners drawn both from our old team and new recruits, and a refreshed vision for the future.
Life can be tough. Whether you’re facing anxiety, grief, stress, or simply feeling stuck, we’re here to walk alongside you—helping you turn transform the challenges into life-enhancing opportunities.”
“We provide support to our clients with compassion, and we believe that, through the strong relational connection that counselling offers, clients become empowered to move forward in a healthy resilient manner,” said Lucia Pool, Clinical Manager at SCS.
Clients wishing to benefit from counselling can find further information and an application form at sandhurstcounselling.org.uk.
St Michael’s church, Sandhurst are refurbishing the facilities and have pledged their ongoing support to the service. “We have supported SCS from when we started it many years ago up to the present, and we are delighted that the re-launched Service will be able to continue to meet the needs of people in our local community.” said the Rector, Rev John Castle.
We have also received additional financial support from Unite, Sandhurst Town Council, Sandhurst Voluntary Care, and from private donors. These give us confidence to be able to restart the service.
In future the service will be more reliant on client contributions, but we have restructured the support we receive to ensure that no-one need turn away simply because they lack the financial means to invest in their mental health.
In the autumn we will be developing a “Friends of SCS” scheme to increase local engagement with the service so that the community as a whole benefits from our presence.
For further comment please contact Dave Percival, Chair Sandhurst Counselling Service at dave.percival@btinternet.com or on 07802 660524.
For further details see www.sandhurstcounselling.org.uk where a full history of the service may be found2. Quotes from social media when we announced that we would stop in July:
- “Devastating news as I know someone in need who was waiting patiently for this service as the initial assessment was very professional & much needed relief until they could be seen as a regular arrangement.”
- “Sad to hear this… SCS offers a really valuable service to the local community. I hope you manage to find a way forward”.
- “This is so very sad, I was helped so much by this service many years ago when they first started”.
- “Very sad to read this. It will be a huge loss to the community”.
