Counselling that is free but isn’t nhs does this exist ?

[sugarLevelbabymilk]

Is there some kind of voluntary service available where you can go to talk (or by distance atm) that isn’t linked to the nhs ?

Many of them are still linked to NHS but you can self refer to charities such as Mind

I’m sure there are others

Samaritans don’t just take calls from people who are suicidal. It won’t necessarily be counselling but they will listen

Does your work offer it.
I hadnt realised that my place offer free counselling as part if the well being services until a couple if colleagues said that they used it and found it very helpful.

Mind offer free counselling service - but there are usually really long waiting lists as it is a service that's really in demand.

depending on what the issue is, you may find your local CofE church vicar can either help, or direct you to an appropriate option.

Depends on the context for counselling, but lots of hospices offer counselling for palliative patients and their loved ones, often even if the patient themselves isn't known to the hospice

Women's centres do too (also got a long list)

There is a one size fits all assumption that the entire world population is in need of something called counselling. Maybe so, or maybe sometimes by looking online, you can find what you need, free. Sometimes, it helps to remember everyone gets a bit bashed, on the way through life, but there's invariably something to be thankful for. "I wept because I had no shoes, till I met a man with no feet".

I just want something that I can access and get support without it being fed back to my gp or similar.
In the past we had issues which were unfounded but I remain under scrutiny despite no concerns found and I was told anything in future that leads to professionals questioning me/my ability to cope would trigger more involvement
But I need to process what happened for a start and also I have other things I’d like to have support with and I don’t feel able to access it through normal routes due to fear but I would like someone to talk to

It’s important to bear in mind that anyone can call themselves a councillor, it’s unregulated. Please ask questions about their experience and training before entering into a relationship. Have a look on the BACP website as well as MIND.

Phillipa Perry’s book How to Stay Sane is a useful read. If you’re struggling day to day try and establish some routines if you can, look after your physical wellbeing as much as possible.

I’ll have a look at that thanks
I just need some time out I think to focus on working through some things and seeing what strategies there are. I feel like talking to someone would be so beneficial to get things in ‘order’ in my mind

sugar writing things down might help you, make a note of everything that happened and how you feel about it now in hindsight.
Try and find things that give your mind a rest from it as well, are you finding yourself dwelling on it all? It’s harder at the moment to do lots of things but exercise can be really helpful.

It sounds like you’re wary of engaging with the NHS because of what’s happened. I think your best bet is to go on the MIND website and start there.

I’m assuming this may be because social services may become involved or the job that you do could be under scrutiny? I’m not sure what the unfounded issues were and I’m not asking you to share
that here but when unwell we may not assess risk to ourselves or others especially competently. So many people disagree with diagnosis given, treatment plans and interventions and sometimes we are correct but sometimes we are not.

I have no idea how unwell you are but I agree MIND is the first step, plus it depends on what type of help you need. For instance my local hospice offers really decent long term bereavement counselling, DV charities often offer counselling specially targeted towards domestic abuse.

If by any chance this does involve social services be very careful hiding stuff. I have had social services intervention and I co operated 100% and it was fine. Good luck with whatever route you go down. We have no choice in how unwell we are, I’m currently in a very bad episode over the last three days. All we can do is try counselling, taking ourselves away from situations that cause distress, avoid alcohol and street drugs, take meds as prescribed, eat well, exercise and get fresh air and rest as much as possible.

@Valkadin, I’m sorry you’re at a low point right now but what you just wrote was incredibly helpful, insightful and kind. I hope you see an improvement soon.

Hello, I accessed counselling from students via cedar house. They just asked for a donation. Maybe something similar is in your area?

Yes Thankyou so much valkadin

Regardless of whether they are NHS or not, they will be professionally obligated to pass on any concerns they have to your GP/NHS services or social services.

I don’t think that would be an issue as there’s nothing that would be a red flag
I think I just need to chat with someone to process my feelings over what happened and in general as feeling overwhelmed/ general anxiety levels etc and a bit of stuff from childhood as didn’t have the best upbringing and I just feel I need to work through things
But specifically stated previously any issues or need to seek help in Thai way would go against me so it’s a catch 22 really which is why I’d like the support but to do so under the radar

*that

Yes. It exists. Very hard to come by. Some private counsellors offer charitable slots but it depends on their individual ethos.

Charities tend to specialise in certain areas and will have long waiting lists - you need to see if you meet their criteria. Do bare in mind that counsellors can contact your gp if they have concerns. If you need someone to listen to you, there are volunteer befriendeds, some churches etc that may not have long lists

There are some that offer on a sliding scale depending on income. They’re often trainee therapists.

Every responsible therapist or mental health professional has a duty of care to you and your children (if you have them). I see someone privately but she certainly has my GP details and would need to report if I was a risk of harm to myself or anyone else.

But even the NHS doesn’t have some master system of data sharing (I know because it’s my job to deal with the fact it doesn’t exist). Your GP won’t be able to see your counselling records and your counsellor wouldn’t really be telling them about anything you discussed, again unless you discussed imminent plans to hurt yourself or your children or someone else, or ongoing abuse of your children, etc.

Depending on where you are some charities offer free counselling often using student counsellors who are closely supervised as part of their training. Charities with a particular focus eg domestic abuse, childhood sexual abuse, rape etc often offer counselling as part of their services for free. I obviously don’t know your life experiences but even if, for example, you had experience of domestic abuse but that wasn’t what you needed support with now, you can often still access counselling through a domestic abuse charity because you’ve had that experience even though your issue just now is different. One way to find out what’s in your area is to google free counselling -