General
Counselling
- Sessions cost between £12.50 and £25 – how much you pay is dependent on your income. We are not able to offer sessions free of charge
- Sessions are available Monday to Friday during the day, with some evening availability
- Our appointments are available in Horsforth, Leeds – although we do offer a limited number of virtual or telephone appointments if required
- There is no minimum commitment when it comes to the number of sessions, so you are welcome to sign up for one to see whether our counselling is the right fit for you. We offer up to 10 sessions; the number will depend on you entirely. After a discussion with your counsellor, we just require regular weekly attendance to the agreed number of sessions
- The average wait for sessions is around 3 months
- Please note we only accept self-referrals
Who is counselling for?
If you are experiencing difficulties with your mental health or if you are just struggling to make sense of things, seeing a counsellor might be the right option for you.
We will work with any adult who needs our help, whatever the needs and situation, as long as the counselling is likely to be of benefit. You do not need a mental health diagnosis to see a counsellor with us if you feel that you would benefit from therapeutic support. We can also work with people with complex and enduring mental health needs. You should be aware that counselling can be a difficult and challenging process, but if you are willing to engage you could find it to be very beneficial.
What will therapy be like?
We don’t believe in providing a one-size-fits-all service, and will make the effort to build a counselling relationship around your needs. You may have a specific issue you want to discuss, or you may want to use explore your thoughts and feelings more generally. We will work with you to decide on a course of therapy that is suitable for your needs, with up to 10 sessions available.
We have a dedicated team of counsellors with a wide range of experiences, backgrounds and expertise, and we will always try to match you with the best counsellor to suit your needs. Some of our counsellors are still in training, but you can be assured that we require very high standards of therapeutic competence, and all our counsellors receive a high level of support to carry out their roles.
How long will I have to wait to see a counsellor?
We have a lot of demand for our service and, as we are a charity, we only have so much availability to offer appointments. As such, you may have to wait a little while after referring yourself before we are able to offer you appointments. The average wait for appointments is around three months. Please note that we are only able to accept self-referrals at certain times due to demand on the service. If you are able to afford our private practice counselling service, the waiting list for this is often much shorter.
How to self-refer
We are currently reviewing this service due to feedback and to ensure it’s future. As a result, referrals will be closed until the end of April.
In the meantime, Mindwell lists other local counselling options here, or you could consider Leeds Mind’s free peer support groups.
