NW Counselling Hub continues to grow

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NWCH (Naomi Watkins Counselling Hub) has added 2 more counsellors to its 26-strong team that has only been running for 15 months as the demand for their services continues to grow.

The community interest company got off to a flying start with a £25,000 grant from The Bromhead Medical Charity that enabled NWCH to provide free counselling to young people in need.  This was then followed by an award of £60,000 from The Key Fund to create more counselling rooms and lease a second building that is now a dedicated training centre.

Founding director Naomi Watkins said: “Our newest specialist counsellors are Robin Thain and Christopher Morris.  Robin is from Lincolnshire and he mainly works with adult males.  His specialism is helping people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  Christopher is from Mansfield. He primarily works with young people and specialises in helping those with Special Educational Needs.”

In the first year, NWCH received more than 310 referrals from charity organisations, schools, Macmillan Nurses, GPs and other medial professionals.  One area of increasing demand has been the number of adults opting to pay privately for counselling, rather than going through the NHS.  NWCH believe that is due to being able to see a qualified counsellor within a week, as opposed to often much longer waiting times.