A CHARITY which offers low cost help to people struggling with psychological and emotional issues is being threatened with closure following a funding shortfall.
BSH Counselling, based in Brentford’s High Street since 2001, could close its doors for good at the end of the month after being told it is facing a financial crisis.
Hounslow Council has given the charity a grant but the service, which is provided free to children and at a very low rate for those on benefits, relies on donations to keep it going.
The service is entirely voluntary and not only provides people of all ages with a varied counselling service, but also gives many trainee counsellors the chance to do their placements at the centre.
BSH used to be called Bereavement Services Hounslow and specialised in bereavement and pre-bereavement counselling, but a year and a half ago it changed its name to reflect the variety of services it has branched out into, including depression, anxiety, work issues and sexual abuse.
Joe O’Neill, chairman of BSH Counselling, said: "We just don’t have the funds to carry on. Hounslow Council gave us a grant which we are very grateful for but unless we get enough donations to keep us going for the next year we won’t be able to accept it as it wouldn’t be fair to the council when we know we won’t have the resources to continue.
“We need to think long term so we need regular support every month. There’s a waiting list for our services and we have 20 counsellors who volunteer their expertise but there are costs which we need to cover. If we are going to stay open, we need to have the funding by the middle of March.”
BSH Counselling is the only charity in west London to provide bereavement counselling to children. For adults, they ask for a donation or however much they feel they can afford per session, but people on benefits only have to pay three to five pounds.
Patricia Connolly is the service manager at BSH Counselling and a UK Council for Psychotherapy certified psycho therapist. She has been with the service since the beginning and deals with all initial consultations.
Mrs Connolly said: “18 months ago we became completely independent but since then the growth has been slow. We have really worked on putting our name out there but some GPs, who we have sent information packs to, don't know we exist which is really disheartening.
“A therapist normally costs about £60 but we want to make sure everybody has access to counselling because it can really help people get through difficult times.
“We’re really grateful to Petit Papillon for providing us with a free counselling room in Brentford High Street, without them we wouldn’t be able to help. But, we still have to pay for our office and really need funding so we don’t have to close entirely.”
To help BSH Counselling stay open or benefit from their services, call Patricia Connolly on 075 8412 4896. Donations can be made by cheque or direct debit to their centre: Suite 46, The Market Building, 195 High Street, Brentford, TW8 8LB.
