Free counselling/therapy needed (not for debt)

pencakes26

Apologies in advance for the re-post, was pointed in the direction of this board in case anyone could help



Not been on here for a week - been in Greece for a wedding, which was very lovely and I had a great time without needing to spend a great deal either

Back to reality with a bump though, and no that sinking feeling has returned. The !!!!py job and the lack of friends is really starting to get me down. I feel like I dont remember how I got myself in this situation.

I've got my finances back on track and will continue to work towards paying all my debt off and start saving hard (houses dont buy themselves after all) and now I want to do the same with the rest of my life but I dont know where to start!

I need someone to talk to, that isnt my OH, and I wondered if you can get counselling or therapy or something... free of charge? Its not so much the debt that is getting me down, but the rest of my life. Having suffered from depression in the past its definitely a place I want to avoid.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as Im feeling pretty down in the dumps right now.

pencakes x

Desperado99

You could try and get a referral from your GP? that's the route I took anyway.

best of luck

dottydee854

I will be watching this thread with interst as i too feel very much the same.
Maybe GP would be a start. Hope you get some Answers Pencakes26 x

pencakes26

Thanks both. I think thats def my first option. I hear waiting lists can be pretty long so I wondered if anyone knew of a charity/group that they've used before?

x

dottydee854

I think there is waiting lists, but depends on the area i guess. Have you tried good old' Google?? Google has the answers to everything lol x

Desperado99

I think it varies from area to area. My initial appointment was 2 weeks after seeing my GP and then I had to wait 6 weeks for my regular counselling to begin. So, that was OK in my opinion, I knew from my first session that I would be getting CBT so I read up on that in the meantime (the library was an excellent resource for me).

MIND offer counselling, you have to pay, but it's at a reduced rate.

http://www.mind.org.uk/

scrappie_2

Depending on where you work, some companies offer a free counselling service. If you have an occ health dept it may be woth giving them a call.

Otherwise - go in the net and search your local PCT site for referal routes. In my area I can either go through my GP, or can self-refer wiothout my GP's knowledge/ consent.

HTH good luck.

Just a though - have you ever thought about meditation?? I know it's not for everyone, but it really has helped me. Even just 5 mins a day - I can really notice a difference if I haven't done it for a while.

SqueekyMouse

Your GP would be your first port of call - I had a wait of about a month to see a CBT trained councilor, but it sounds like you don't have a specific issue you need to work through and may benefit from a more person centered form of talking therapy. However I don't think many NHS trusts would have the funding to refer you to see a psychoanalyst or similar.

I know in my local area there is a private counseling center, but the therapists offer reduced rates for those with financial difficulties - may be there is something similar near you, it's worth a google...

Corelli

Hi, I'm not sure how specific we are meant to be about location on here but I have benefitted from a very low cost community counselling service in East London. Try googling on name of your area and free or low cost couselling, you may be lucky. Wishing you well on your quest.

pencakes26

scrappie wrote: »

Just a though - have you ever thought about meditation?? I know it's not for everyone, but it really has helped me. Even just 5 mins a day - I can really notice a difference if I haven't done it for a while.

Definitely worth looking at - I've thought about it before so maybe its time to give it a go. At the moment my stress relief is a glass of wine and a good cry, but that's exhausting and I don't think its achieving much :S

I'll try and get on a waiting list via my GP and then I'll look around to see what my other options are.

I'm determined to get this sorted. I wont let it beat me!

pencakes x

Millie2008_2

Could you afford a contribution towards counselling? Many counsellors in private practice offer a sliding scale of fees, for people who are unable to pay the full amount for sessions

Google BACP and look at their "seeking a therapist" session