Tamworth's College of Counselling Studies opens its own counselling service

Jenny Regan is the principal at the College of Counselling Studies in the New England and North West and said the organisation had trained counsellors for 35 years.

For the first time the college is making its own counsellors available for customers to contact, through the Tamworth institution.

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"I was aware that there's a need for more mental health services in the area because as a counsellor myself I get more requests for counselling than I can meet," she said.

With the region short of mental health professionals, the organisation made the decision to become a vertically-integrated institution, both training staff and employing them.

Counselling is different from psychology or psychiatry, she said.

"Mental health plans direct people to a psychologist. And psychology is a slightly different way of helping. Psychologists in Tamworth are overloaded. For some people psychology is not the most helpful thing to do," she said.

"This provides an alternative."

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Unlike clinical mental healthcare, counselling aims to support people to "develop better understanding of themselves and others" enabling them to "address life difficulties and make the changes they want in their lives", she said.

Mrs Regan said the service could serve everyone from people at risk of suicide, to people suffering long-term grief, or the even more common health crisis of anxiety.

They can help people for the long-run, or the short-term, in person or over the phone - though some specialist complaints like eating disorders, or addictions to gambling or alcohol, may need to be referred on.

The service won't struggle to find staff, with the college training a ready-made workforce of between 10 and 12 counsellors a year.

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"Not all of them who finish the course go onto counsel because it's a specialised skill, but at the moment we have a number of people who are keen to offer counselling in the area, but it's difficult to make a start because you have to rent a room and try and get your name out there," she said.

"I just thought, well, we can see if we can meet a need."

Potential clients can get in touch by either emailing the college or by calling and leaving a message. One of four counsellors will call back and organise a time.

Face-to-face services are available in both Tamworth and Gunnedah, and the counsellors can work with people in other areas over the phone.

They are considering expansion into Moree in the future.

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