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Empowering people to make
positive changes in their lives.

We provide a safe place to talk to a skilled counsellor, who will listen and help you understand how past experiences, worries about the future, or lack of self-confidence may be affecting your life.

Counselling helps you reflect on how you respond to events and explore the way you deal with relationships.

All our venues offer a confidential setting. You are free to talk safely, without fear of rejection, criticism or blame.

Click below to learn more about the cost of counselling, subsidised rates and what to expect.

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Counselling for adults

We provide a safe place to talk to a skilled counsellor, who will listen and help you understand how past experiences, worries about the future, or lack of self-confidence may be affecting your life. Counselling will help you reflect on how you respond to events and explore the way you deal with relationships.

BACP Accredited

Trained and Professional

Supervised

£55 Per Session

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Counselling for children & young people

Offering counselling to children, young people, and their parents who are experiencing difficulties. These difficulties may stem from changes in family life, such as separation, remarriage, stepfamily issues, illness, loss, or bereavement. In other cases, parents may worry about supporting a troubled adolescent, a child experiencing bullying, or a young person struggling to make friends or gain independence. This service is available in Stroud, Cheltenham, and Gloucester only.

Trained and Professional

Supervised

£70 Per Session

Available in Stroud, Cheltenham, and Gloucester

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Funded Counselling

Learn more

At GCS we sometimes receive funding for fully funded short-term counselling, subject to eligibility criteria set by our partners.

If you think you might be eligible for funded counselling, please email or phone:

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 01453 766310

If another service has given you a referral code please see the I’ve Been Referred tab.

I’ve Been Referred

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If you have been referred by a GCS partner organisation, you should have been given a reference code. Please click the ‘Register for Counselling’ button and follow the process. You will be prompted for the referral code.

Register for counselling

We are a charity

Through fundraising and donations we can subsidise counselling costs to make it accessible to all that need it.

How can you support us?

Become a funding partner

Pay forward counselling

Overpay for your counselling

Make a donation

FAQ’s

What is counselling?

Counselling provides an opportunity to discuss issues that may be troubling or causing you problems. Your counsellor will not know you or have any involvement with the issues you wish to discuss, or offer advice but instead will provide a space where you are able to explore and reflect on the difficulties you are experiencing.

Once you have decided you would like counselling you will be offered an assessment before you commence. The assessment provides the opportunity to decide whether counselling would be appropriate for you or not.
How often would I meet with my counsellor?

Once you commence ongoing counselling you will see the same counsellor (this will not be the counsellor you saw for the assessment). You meet weekly at the same time and the same place, each session usually lasts for 50 minutes. This space is held for you each week and as a result if you are unable to attend for any reason you will be expected to pay for the missed sessions.
Will my counsellor be qualified and experienced?

All GCS counsellors are supervised and managed within GCS and work within the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy Ethical Framework. Most of our counsellors are qualified but some are in training and work to the same high standards as qualified counsellors.
How long does counselling take?

There is no one answer to this question as it depends on the issues you wish to address and the depth to which you wish to explore them and other related matters. GCS offers open ended counselling but if it is more appropriate we are able to offer a more focused, fixed term option usually up to 12 weeks.
Where will I have to go for counselling?
How long will I have to wait for a counselling appointment?

Once you have registered for counselling you will be offered an appointment for an assessment relatively quickly, usually within two – four weeks. How quickly you will be offered an appointment for ongoing counselling is dependent on your availability and the demand on the service. Evening appointments can be available but are usually in high demand therefore may incur a delay.
What if I am unhappy with my counselling?

If you are unhappy with any aspect of your counselling you should discuss this with your counsellor as it may be related to the issues you have brought to counselling. If this is inappropriate or does not resolve the matter you can write to the Head of Counselling at GCS explaining your concerns. If you are still unhappy you can use GCS’s formal Complaints Procedure.