Counselling

We help you work through your role as an unpaid carer or disabled person. Open to all our adult service users, counselling can be an important tool to protect your wellbeing.

What we do

Our aim is to promote a culture of positive mental health, well-being, and prevention for unpaid carers and disabled people living in West Lothian. It is also our intention to improve awareness of how individuals can stay well thus helping themselves and others. We aim to do this by providing a variety of services which include the following:

  • One-to-one support.

  • Counselling

  • Workshops and courses.

  • Acute support.

  • Connect individuals to other support groups and networks.

We believe that people need time and space to focus on “what matters to me”. We therefore take a holistic and person-centred approach to mental health and well-being.

Our vision is to become a centre of excellence in providing support and services in relation to the mental health and well-being of all carers and disabled people living in West Lothian.

Two women sitting on a couch, one gesturing while the other uses a laptop.

Our team

Our service is led by our Counselling & Wellbeing Manager who has extensive experience in the field of mental health and well-being.

The counselling service delivered by CoWL is in the main provided by trainee counsellors. All trainee counsellors are undertaking a minimum of a Diploma in Counselling and have been assessed as being skilled and experienced to a level acceptable by their education establishment to be on placement working with ‘real people.’

Our counsellors work to either or both of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy Ethical Framework of Good Practice and the COSCA Statement of Ethics and Code of Practice. In line with good practice, all counsellors receive the adequate level of clinical supervision. 

Where is counselling held?

Where and how is the counselling sessions delivered? 

The sessions can be delivered either in person, via telephone or via Teams.

The video shows a behind-the-scenes look at our counselling rooms and where your sessions will take place.

Make a referral.

If you wish to be referred to our service, which includes our Counselling Service, book in a 30-minute telephone ‘Consultation Call’ below with our Counselling & Wellbeing Manager.

Here we will discuss how we can best support you moving forward. If our service isn’t the right place for you, we’ll look at alternative services which might be of help.

There is no charge for your consultation but a donation to support our charity to deliver our Counselling and Wellbeing Service is welcome.

A woman with long hair kissing a young girl with curly hair on the cheek, both sitting on a sofa in a cozy room.

What is counselling?

Counselling aims to support someone in expressing their thoughts and feelings about what is happening in their life. By exploring your thoughts and feelings, counselling can help you to understand more about yourself and about the situations in your life. Counselling is not about telling you what you should be doing. It is an opportunity for you to talk about and reflect on what is happening in your life.  

Why is it needed? 

Often, we find ourselves in situations where for many reasons we are unable to talk to our family and friends about how we are feeling. Talking to someone in confidence outside the situation can be extremely helpful. 

How could it help me? 

The first thing a counsellor will do is listen to you and what you have to say about your situation. They will try to understand things from your point of view. They can then: 

  • Help you explore your feelings and thoughts about your situation 

  • Help you look at how to cope with and manage your feelings 

  • Help you to explore how you might deal with things differently in the future 

Our frequently asked questions

If you have other questions, we’re here to help.

  • We offer you up 6 counselling sessions.

  • Most private counselling typically costs around £60 per hour.

    We deliver to a similar, high standard of counselling service, however, many of our clients are unable to pay this amount. As such we request a minimum donation of £5 per session. This helps to support our charity to deliver our Counselling Service.

    You may, of course, contribute more for these sessions if you wish.

    Donations are requested when you book a session. These can be booked individually or as part of a package of 6 sessions. The booking link will be emailed to you prior to the commencement of your sessions.

  • We deliver our counselling service in six sessions to focus on setting goals and working out how to achieve them.

    This is known as solution-focused brief therapy. It promotes positive change by encouraging you to focus on what you can do, rather than what you can’t.

    If you wish to have more than six sessions, however, each additional session will require a contribution of £60 per hour.

  • Due to the high demand for our Counselling Service, there is usually a waiting list. You will be advised of the length of the waiting list during your initial consultation session.

COSCA logo with blue abstract design and text 'Counselling & Psychotherapy in Scotland'

Carers of West Lothian is a COSCA Member Organisation (Counselling & Psychotherapy in Scotland) supporting COSCA’s aims and working within COSCA’s Statement of Ethics and Code of Practice. If you’d like to know more about COSCA, click here to visit their website.

You can download a copy of our Counselling Service Standards by clicking here.