Dear Church Leader
The Old Bank Wellbeing Trust is now in its third year and we are privileged to have helped over 700 people with our counselling services. Our building in Hampden Park is very busy and we are starting to consider the possibility of finding additional venues where our counselling team can meet with clients.
Charity Status
At the beginning of the year, we were pleased to be awarded charity status which we hope will enable us to attract more funding to help those who otherwise would not be able to access the help they need. This also means that we will be able to reclaim Gift Aid on donations to the service, allowing us to help more people.
Operations Manager Vacancy
We are recruiting for an Operations Manager to take on the day to day running of the service alongside our Counselling Manager. The role is for a minimum of 20hrs per week (flexible). Please pass this information on to anyone in your congregation who might be interested. An Application Pack is available from office@theoldbankwellbeing.org.uk and I’m happy to be contacted for an informal chat.
Pastoral Support and Supervision
We continue to offer support to those working in pastoral roles in churches and charities locally. We are providing bespoke mental health awareness training and regulated First Aid for Mental Health courses (Level 2) together with offering individual and group supervision for those involved in pastoral work. Our First Aid for Mental Health courses are on Thu 11 May, Wed 27 Sep and Sat 18 Nov and cost £60 per person for those coming from churches and charities.
Counselling
Our counselling team numbers over 50 counsellors working with all ages. Although not a Christian service, the team includes counsellors who are Christians and have trained to work through a Christian worldview and we have welcomed many Christians through our door. We continue to offer online counselling alongside our in-person services, meaning that we have been able to work with clients and counsellors from different parts of the country as the need has arisen.
For most of our individual services, we’re offering a mix of low-cost sessions with counsellors who are in training (£20) and full cost sessions with qualified counsellors (£50). We have a growing team of counsellors working with couples (£70). Where people can’t afford these services, we have created a bursary fund to subsidise the cost for those who otherwise could not access our services. We continue to seek funding support for this as the need for counselling continues to grow whilst financial pressures increase.
We continue to operate a discreet service for those experiencing compulsive sexual behaviours such as porn and sex addiction (£70). The majority of this team are Christians who are specifically trained to work in this highly sensitive area. When contacting us, people can ask for Sam and we will put them in contact with one of our specialists.
Referrals for all services can be made through our website theoldbankwellbeing.org.uk, phone 01323 502827, text 07737 570702 or email info@theoldbankwellbeing.org.uk. If a discreet referral or discussion is needed, please feel free to contact me.
Thank you
We have been so grateful to the local churches that have supported us on the journey so far in many practical ways. If you haven’t yet had opportunity to meet with us and see the centre, please get in touch – you’d be very welcome and the kettle is always on.
With very best wishes
Claire