Demand for our local counselling service continues to rise.
We are receiving unprecedented levels of enquiries from young people suffering from mental health issues and we really need to get across to more people that “It’s Good To Talk”. As a charity we are looking to recruit a new army of fundraisers and supporters in order to expand our support for local, young people.
75% of young people in the UK who are experiencing mental health problems aren’t receiving the assistance they need. Youth Talk are committed to helping address this in St Albans and surrounding areas.
David Barker, Youth Talk’s CEO, shares
“The Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the mental well-being of young people and we are now facing a silent pandemic of mental health problems. Youth Talk provides a safe space to talk in total confidence. Our fully qualified counsellors are experts in supporting young people – whatever worries or challenges they may be facing.
Everyone feels sad, angry, frustrated and scared sometimes. When these feelings are overwhelming or happening all the time, we encourage young people to talk about them. Talking about things confidentially can help young people to work out what is really worrying or upsetting them and explore what they could do to try to make things better.
But we rely on the generosity of our local community to keep Youth Talk running and as demand increases we need to grow our service so that we can be there for the growing numbers of young people who need our help”.
Despite lockdown, Youth Talk has been offering over 80 sessions a week (up from 60 before the pandemic). Over the coming months, we envisage for the first time in our 23 year history providing 100 sessions a week.
Since 1997, over 3500 young people have trusted Youth Talk to provide this free, confidential and expert support from a dedicated team of experienced professionals, but this help comes at a cost.
On average each young person will have around 12 sessions with us but we will see people for up to a year if need be.
A commitment by companies and individuals, donating over a period of time, is especially helpful allowing us to plan our support with confidence. Harpenden Building Society, have supported Youth Talk for the last 3 years and are planning to continue this relationship with us. We’re looking for additional, committed supporters like this.
£50 could help provide a one-to-one counselling session for a young person in need.
This does not take into account all the other costs associated with running a charity like Youth Talk.
– David Barker
A tale of two cities
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