For half a century, the Counselling & Family Centre has provided critical mental health support for the local community. We sat down with chief executive Jo Allen.
Even though it's located just yards from the duck pond in Stamford Park, it's easy to miss the Counselling & Family Centre (CFC).
But if you are one of the thousands of people to have benefitted from its services over the years, you will know all too well what a critically important facility it is.
As it approaches its 50th anniversary next year, the CFC charity is an increasingly essential resource for people across our community and beyond.
Here, a network of 45 highly trained and specialist counsellors provide mental health and wellbeing support for anyone, aged five and up, who may need it.
"We provide support for everybody," says CFC's chief executive Jo Allen. "There's no geographic limit - you don't have to have a certain post code and you don't have to have a certain issue."
Though many come through a referral from a GP, school or Trafford Council, walk-ins are just as welcome, and video and phone calls are also available.
“We have clients who come in because they just need to talk through something, and at the opposite end of the spectrum we have clients who are really troubled,” said Jo.
The 45 qualified counsellors at CFC cover a wide array of specialist skills, and are each supported by a team of British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) accredited supervisors.
“Having so many counsellors means we can match the most appropriate counsellor with the client,” says Jo. “If you go on counselling websites you'll see an individual counsellor and a long list of everything that they can do. That's not the way we work. We'll say, what are you actually trained to do?”
No area of life is untouched by those experiencing mental health problems. Clients include individual adults, children, couples and families. Issues can arise anywhere, from home to school or the workplace.
CFC is currently supporting “an awful lot” of young people who are self-harming or suicidal, but older people are certainly not untouched.
“We see a lot of older people who are lonely,” adds Jo. “They might be financially well off, but it doesn't make them immune to problems. We see people in high-powered jobs who are only just holding together. They've got a big mortgage and they've got school fees to pay, and they’re worried it’s all going to fall apart at any moment.
“We can help you better understand what’s happening in your life. You will learn more about yourself, determine what your needs are, and decide what’s really important to you.”
Jo, who was trained as a counsellor at Relate, has been at CFC for 20 years this year.
Originally joining as a volunteer, she took a paid role as a part-time coordinator and worked her way up to chief executive.
She says that one of CFC’s vital roles is in giving its clients coping strategies to better deal with their problems.
“A lot of us have coping strategies that we developed as children, and it will have helped if you’ve been lucky and had a really loving family.
“But many people don't, and we also find that sometimes people are using coping strategies as adults that don't work for them anymore.”
An area where CFC’s counselling services are increasingly in demand is the workplace.
According to Mental Health First Aid England, stress, depression or anxiety accounts for more than half of all work-related illnesses, while Deloitte reported that 64% of managers have considered quitting for a job that would better support their wellbeing.
“It’s absolutely on the rise,” adds Jo. “We’ve got all sorts of things we can do to help, from helping people to cope with board or team meetings, to helping people to understand how group dynamics in a company works.”
CFC’s seven brightly-coloured and recently redecorated counselling rooms operate from 9am to 8pm from Monday to Thursday, and 9am to 4pm on Friday. It operates on other sites locally too, with some sessions held at the Broomwood Community Centre in Timperley and the Limelight Health and Wellbeing Hub in Stretford.
The cost of a session is determined by household income - if it’s under £30,000, you’ll pay just £10 a time.
As it approaches its half-century next year, the Counselling & Family Centre will continue to play a crucial role in the local community.
The Counselling & Family Centre, 40 Mayors Road, Altrincham, WA15 9RP. To make an appointment or for more information, call 0161 941 7754 or visit thecfc.org.uk
