The St. Barnabas Counselling Centre was founded
in 1974 and we aim to offer low cost counselling to all adults
regardless of race, creed or financial ability.
We have 25 professionally trained counsellors
who voluntarily offer a variety of experience and specialisms. Our
clients come from all walks of life and bring with them all sorts of
problems ranging from abuse, loss and bereavement to depression,
loneliness and relationship problems. In our often alienating and
frightening world there is an ever-increasing demand for
counselling.
The Centre:
- Provides professional counselling to adults
irrespective of their ability to pay
- Offers short-term and long-term open-ended
counselling
- Offers one-to-one counselling, couples
counselling and group work
- Seeks to promote the values of counselling
through talks in the wider community
- Evaluates and continually monitors the quality
of service
- Provides counsellors working with a number of
different counselling orientations
- Provides counselling for cancer sufferers and
carers
- Facilitates and holds training courses for
counsellors
- Is supported by trained supervisors to maintain
ethics and professionalism
- Employs a part-time clinical director to ensure
accountable practice
- Provides reception and telephone cover from
9-5, five days a week and two evenings.
The Centre is one of the largest counselling
providers in Norwich and has charitable status. It is entirely
responsible for its own funding. Our income is derived from grants,
donations, room donations and income from counselling sessions
provided to our clients. The funding crisis in the NHS has meant
that GPs are unable to offer counselling, which has increased the
numbers referred to us. However we have managed to keep our waiting
list manageable, clients have not had to wait too long for an
appointment. We are still able to offer open-ended counselling which
is important to us. Counsellors continue to want placements with us
as we have a reputation for offering a good supportive environment
for trainees and for being a good place to work for experienced
counsellors.
We operate on a shoe-string but have managed to
keep our minimum fee at £12. Some clients pay more, some can only pay
a small amount and are subsidised by those who can afford more. An
imminent rent increase means that fundraising must be one of our
main concerns in the coming year. |