Young people's (12 to 15) Counselling Service

SERVICE STATUS: OPEN to new referrals

About the Service

While it can be helpful to talk to other people in your life about how you feel, it can sometimes feel easier to talk to somebody else. Counselling is when you confidentially talk to a trained person about something that is on your mind or is a problem to you. A counsellor will listen to what you say and will support you to make sense about events in your life.

You are able to access up to 6 sessions. These are held weekly either in-person at our premises at Highcliffe Court (Clifton) or can be accessed by telephone or videocall.

How can this help me?

Counselling can help with lots of different things. You may have problems at home or with friends; you may be feeling depressed, anxious or confused, or thinking about hurting yourself. If something is important to you or is making you unhappy, then it is a good reason to come to counselling.

Your counsellor won't tell you what to do but will support you to better understand and express what is going on for you. This aims to help you look at and respond to things differently, build on how you see yourself and encourage you to explore new ways of dealing with things. If you find the idea of talking to someone scary then we can offer you Art Therapy were you will be supported to do this through the use of activities such as painting, drawing, clay or even Lego - whatever works for you really! You don't have to be an artist - its just another way of expressing yourself in a different way to just talking.

Who can access

Young People who are:

Aged between 12 - 15
A resident in York, or are under the care of the City of York Council (CYC), or are a care leaver with a CYC Pathway Plan

Cost

York Mind is a non-profit making charity funded through grants, service contracts and by contributions received from clients.

Referring In

To refer in, simply complete our referral form here (Or download the Word Version and send to ypcounselling@yorkmind.org.uk).

We aim to be in touch within two weeks of receiving your referral.

From 2^nd January 2024 we will not accept agency referrals into this service. We welcome agencies to support young people in completing a referral, but the primary contact details must be for the young person themselves. The young person must understand what the service entails and consent to the process.

What will Happen Next?

A member of the counselling team will contact you to arrange a telephone assessment. This will offer an opportunity to share a little bit more about your situation, explore what counselling is and how it may be able to help you.

If you feel that the support is something that will be helpful to you, you will then be placed on our waiting list and matched with a counsellor as soon as possible.