Lockdown is easing

At last England’s lockdown restrictions are easing and we can now see more friends and family, finally giving those we care about a hug.

For some, these changes and the re-adjustment back to some sort of ‘normality’ can be difficult and cause additional worry. This is understandable as over a year of restrictions has changed the way we live and made many of us more cautious. This is especially true for those who are vulnerable and who might have been isolating, but also for people who struggle with their mental health.

The families we work with have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19; many live in cramped conditions often with no outside space, have been under increased financial strain and had children at home for nearly 6 months, some of whom were unable to access online learning due to lack of technology. All of this, together with the social isolation, means many low income families have one or more members struggling with poor mental health and are more in need than ever of support from organisations like ours. We provide free, easy to access and locally delivered counselling and play therapy to low income families in Lache and Blacon areas of Chester. We work with clients who cant afford private therapy when state provision is unavailable, unsuitable or takes too long to access.

We’ve remained open throughout the pandemic, moving to remote counselling offered via telephone, Whats App video conferencing and texting when lockdowns meant we couldn’t meet clients face to face. We’ve increased the number of sessions we’ve delivered by 58% and seen a 25% increase in new referrals into our service. These were from clients with existing mental health issues left unaddressed, previous ones re-ignited by Covid-19 and new traumas that have occurred during the pandemic. We expect this growth in demand to continue and need to ensure we can meet this increase and continue to see clients as quickly as possible (within a few weeks), before their mental health deteriorates further.

Please consider supporting our work and help us ensure more low income families get the help they need to address mental health issues and stop it becoming a life long disability buy visiting Support Us