Help for you

Hello. We’re Youth Talk.

Whatever it is that you want to talk about, we’re here to listen. Our service is free and confidential.

We know life can be tough

It’s hard enough growing up in today’s world without the additional challenges that life can bring. Family problems, exams, changes to your feelings and body, friendship worries, anxiety, stress – these can all feel scary and sometimes you feel alone.

We’re here for you

At Youth Talk we’re here to listen and support you – whatever’s worrying you. It’s a free service and we’re experts in supporting young people – we never tell you if you’re right or wrong or what to do. And the conversations are kept completely private.

We provide both one to one counselling and groups counselling. We are also piloting a new University Support Group which will be running over the summer holidays. Find out more here.

How can I refer myself into the service?

To get access to the service you need to:

Be between 13 years up to 25th birthday (referrals accepted up to 24th birthday)
Live, go to school/college or work in St Albans District (see map below).
If you are 13-18 years of age, are out of area, but registered at a GP surgery within Hertfordshire, please email info@youthtalk.org.uk
Refer yourself personally to us (ie you need to make contact with us – not someone else)
Be available for a potential appointment between 10am – 7pm Monday – Friday
Use the online referral form or contact us by phone 01727 868684 or email info@youthtalk.org.uk

Referring yourself personally to us is an important part of getting access to our service and it must be you (not your parent/guardians etc) that get in contact. Just fill in our online form, pick up the phone or drop us an email.

How long will I have to wait?

We are currently experiencing unprecedented demand on the service so our waiting time may vary depending on your availability. The greater availability you have, the easier it will be for our team to allocate a counsellor to you.

We aim to try and offer an initial consultation (IC) as soon as possible (ideally within 2-4 weeks). The IC helps us to better understand why you want to come to Youth Talk and whether the service will be suitable for you. Youth Talk offers individual counselling and group therapy. Following your IC you will then be put on the waiting list for your counselling/therapy to begin. Currently the average waiting time for individual counselling is 3-4 months, although much quicker for group therapy.

Everything is confidential

We provide a safe space to talk, in total confidence, about whatever is on your mind. You don’t need anyone’s permission to talk to us and every conversation is kept private. We pride ourselves on keeping things strictly confidential – it is fundamental to how we work.

Find our more here about what we offer at Youth Talk.