About

Tees Valley Counselling Trust is a free and confidential counselling service for adults, children and young people. Our Adult Service focuses upon those with chronic illness, disability and/or caring responsibilities for such sufferers.  We work across the whole of the Tees Valley.

Our Children’s' Service is for those ages 5 - 16 years and focuses on a similar remit to the adult service but also encompasses those that have lost their well-being for a wide variety of reasons and/or issues. This may include abuse in all its forms, bereavement, caring responsibilities, domestic upheaval, separations etc.

Our counselling is predominately person centred or play therapy (for children) but other forms are used as appropriate.

Originally set up as a self-help group for sufferers of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, a medical condition also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or ME in 1997, it quickly identified a shortfall in support for people with a wide variety of conditions or disabilities. The decision was taken to form a registered charity known as the John Richardson Trust with a primary focus on delivery of person centred counselling. Using volunteer counsellor,  it evolved into the Tees Valley Counselling Trust offering both adults and children opportunities to restore their well being through emotional support.

Today, we have 3 part time staff and over 30 volunteer counsellors who are either qualified to degree or doctorate standard or are in the final stages of their training. We work to the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling & Psychotherapy, a standard we value highly and implement through clinical supervision of our counsellors.

Safe recruitment is utilised including Criminal Records Bureau Enhanced Disclosure due to counselling being recognised as a Regulated Activity for legal purposes.

Overseeing the work of the Trust are a Board of Trustees which meet on a quarterly basis.