You can come to Youth Start with whatever is on your mind. It could be about what is going on at home, at school, college or work. You might be worried about money or where you are going to live. It may be about your relationship, sexual health, contraception or pregnancy. You may be feeling down, stressed, worried or upset and need someone to talk to.
If we don’t think we can offer you all the help you need, we usually know who can and will give you the support you need to contact them. Whatever you need to talk about. No matter how big or small it may seem. You can talk to Youth Start.
This website will tell you more about what we do and how you can contact us. But if there's anything else you would like to know, or if you have any comments about the site and Youth Start services, we would be very pleased to hear from you.
Are you wondering what this
counselling business is?
Maybe someone has suggested that it might be a good idea for you to talk to a counsellor. Or maybe you’re going through a bad patch and feel you need to try and sort your head out a bit. If you’ve never done this sort of thing before, it might feel rather weird or a difficult step to take.
At Youth Start we are very good listeners and have helped lots of young people with lots of different things.
You can talk about anything at Youth Start. Some of the more frequent issues young people come to talk about are:-
- Abuse
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Bullying
- Confidence and self esteem
- Depression
- Home life
- Loss and bereavement
- Relationships
- Self harm
- Sexuality
- Stress
WE WILL:
- Answer your questions
- Give you a chance to talk about any worries about coming here
- Encourage you to tell us what you want to about yourself
- Tell you if and how we think we can help
WE WON’T:
- Tell you what to do or judge you
- Tell your friends or family that you’ve come
Put pressure on you to come back if you don’t want to
LASTLY, if someone is persuading you or pressurising you, DON’T COME!
Counselling won’t be any use to you unless you’ve decided you want to try it.
You’re in charge of your life!
YOU CAN CONTACT THE COUNSELLING TEAM on the Youth Start phone line, address or email.
Frequently Asked Questions:
HOW DO I KNOW IF COUNSELLING IS FOR ME?
You might not know for sure so we invite everyone who is interested in counselling and support to attend a Welcome Meeting at Youth Start
A Welcome Meeting, is an opportunity for you to find out more about Youth Start and all the services we offer. You can ask any questions you have and tell us about the support you need, we will then decide together on the support that best meets your needs
DO I NEED AN APPOINTMENT?
Welcome meetings can be by appointment and may be arranged by telephone, email, text or face book messaging. Or, if you prefer, you can drop in and meet with one of the Youth Start team on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday each week, between 11am and 4.30pm.
If you decide that counselling best meets your needs then counselling sessions will usually be offered as a weekly appointment, with the same person, at the same time each week
CAN SOMEONE COME WITH ME?
Yes. Someone can come with you to Youth Start if you wish. This happens most frequently with first appointments, when you may be unsure where Youth Start is and what counselling is all about.
Meetings with a counsellor are usually one to one. However, we can offer couples sessions, if this is helpful to you.
CAN I TALK ABOUT ANYTHING?
Anything at all. You decide what you want to talk about and we listen and try to understand what it is like to be you.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
It varies. We decide together what it right for you. It could be one meeting, a few more or a lot more? Each session is usually 50 minutes at a time that suits us both.
IS IT CONFIDENTIAL?
Yes. We will not pass on any information about you to anyone else without your permission. However, if we feel that you or someone else you tell us about is in serious danger, we may not always be able to keep your confidence. We will always discuss this with you in advance if possible.
We will explain more about confidentiality when you first come to Youth Start and you can go to the confidentiality page for more information.
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