Free and low-cost psychological counselling and mental health support in Oxfordshire - for children and adults
There are several places in Oxfordshire where you might be able to help your child to access counselling or other forms of mental health support from specialists, outside of the NHS. There are also sources of support for parents and carers.
Possible sources of free psychological counselling or other mental health support - for teenagers
Many senior schools have a school counsellor available to pupils, funded by the school (both private and state schools). The counsellors are usually qualified psychotherapists who also work in private practice with individuals (adults and children). The potential drawback is that sessions most likely take place within school hours and on school premises, and your child might find it awkward to have to explain to their friends where they are going for the regular meetings. There may be a wait.
www.theabingdonbridge.co.uk is a charity which offers 12 one-to-one counselling sessions with qualified psychotherapists free to young people aged 13 – 25 who live in South Oxfordshire or the Vale of the White Horse. They raise funds for this and accept donations. They also run weekly wellbeing groups for different age ranges, starting from age 13, and other activities.
Nai’s House, naishouse.org.uk, based in Bicester, is an Oxfordshire youth charity working directly with children and young adults to reduce suicidality. This charity also accepts donations via it's website. It was founded by a mum whose daughter took her own life aged 22 after receiving treatment from statutory mental health services and finding that their approach didn’t work for her. The charity's mission is to reduce suicide, self harm and poor emotional wellbeing in young people aged under 30. They offer 1-to-1 support, workshops, social groups, complementary treatments and suicide prevention training.
Oxfordshire Mind is a mental health charity (part of a UK nation-wide charity called Mind). They provide wellbeing support to adults and children. In Oxfordshire, they run a series of educational courses and workshops in areas including assertiveness, self-esteem, stress and managing strong emotions. The courses appear to be quite in-depth, ranging in length from 2 x 2-hour online workshops in Assertiveness, to an 8-week face-to-face course in Managing Strong Emotions. The courses are available to anyone over 16, free to attend and run on fixed dates. In order to access them, you would need to attend an informal 30 minute appointment with a Wellbeing Worker to discuss your current situation and wellbeing needs. More information and contact details can be found at: https://www.oxfordshiremind.org.uk/support-for-you/short-courses/.
Low-cost counselling in Oxfordshire - for children and adults
www.riversidecounsellingservice.co.uk is a charity based in Henley-on-Thames, RG9. They provide counselling and psychotherapy at rates which they describe as ‘affordable’ to adults and children from age 12 who live in Henley-on-Thames, Wallingford, Berinsfield, Didcot and the surrounding areas. I couldn’t find any indicative fee levels on the website however. The counsellors are all qualified psychotherapists.
www.thehelphub.co.uk is based in Woodstock and offers low-cost face-to-face and online counselling for adult residents who live close to Woodstock. Their website currently (Feb 2025) states that the fee is £40 for a 50-minute face-to-face session. Some of the sessions are with trainee therapists, but the initial appointment would be with a qualified therapist.
National Low Cost Counselling is a not-for-profit initiative - https://www.lowcost-counselling.com/ - based in Leamington Spa and available online. The fee level is indicated as £15 - £25 for a 50 minutes session. Counsellors are close to completing their professional training, or have qualified but are not yet accredited. Each therapist is supported in their work by an experienced qualified supervisor.
Your employer may offer an Employee Assistance Programme. I’ve read hundreds of psychotherapists’ profiles to find resources to include on this website and have noticed that many qualified and experienced therapists and counsellors with years of varied experience state that they work or have worked for these programmes. These would provide support to the parent rather than the child.