Make a referral
Eligibility criteria
In order to access our community services you must live within West Essex (Harlow, Epping Forest or Uttlesford).
We can support children and young people aged 5 and over.
We are also able to support parents or caregivers of children and young people.
Young people aged 19-25 living in Harlow can self-refer to access our counselling services delivered by students who are training to become counsellors or by a fully qualified volunteers.
If you work with children or young people please contact us to discuss the support we can offer.
What happens next
At YCT, we’re here to support you every step of the way. After we receive your referral, our team will review the details, gather any extra information and guide you through the process, including assessments and session scheduling.
Below is an outline of what to expect as we work together to provide the care you or your child need.
1. Referral received
When we receive your referral one of our clinical team will review what you, or the professional who referred you, have shared. We will contact the parent or caregiver of the child or young person if they are aged under 16. This will allow us to gather any extra information we need and to establish if you are eligible for our services.
For anyone referred to us for support who is aged 16 or over we will contact you directly.
2. Consent
When you are contacted for extra information, we will seek your consent for the referral and to store your data. This will be the perfect time for you to ask any questions you have about this.
Parents, if your child is aged 11 and over, we will need to speak with them to gain their consent to the counselling or therapy referral. This is because for counselling or therapy to be meaningful the child or young person must be willing to engage. Counselling and therapy are not something that is ‘done’ or ‘applied’ it is something that requires participation and engagement. We understand as parents it can be frustrating if your child does not wish to come to counselling or therapy and we will do our best to support you with this.
Once we have the information we need, and consent from the child or young person we can book an assessment.
3. Assessment
We aim to establish if we are able to provide a service within 2 weeks of your referral. If a service can be offered an assessment may take place over the telephone or face to face. This will be conducted by a therapist or a member of our clinical staff team. The assessment allows us to understand a little bit more about what you or your child are going through. We can discuss what support we can offer and record your availability and preferences, although we may offer sessions outside your preferences. During the assessment we will also be assessing risk.
Everyone is asked the same questions at this stage so please do not worry. We just want to make sure we can help keep you or your child safe.
4. Waiting list
Once your assessment is completed and we believe were are a safe and appropriate service for you we will add you to the relevant waiting list depending on your age, type of therapy and location. We aim to put sessions into place as quickly as possible.
Of course, as there is a high demand on our services this may be longer than you would hope, in some instances over 6 months and being on the waiting list is not a guarantee that a service will be provided. However, once you are on our waiting list you or your child can contact us if anything changes or you have questions. We will signpost you to alternative support that you can access while you wait to be allocated a therapist.
5. Support
Once we have available space for you we will get in touch and let you know. If the day/time no longer works for you it is important to let us know. Whilst we aim to be flexible, there are a limited number of available counsellors at any given time and a service may not be available if you or your child are not able to attend at the times or locations offered. We will offer you three opportunities whilst you remain at the top of our waiting list to accept revised session times ,after which the referral may not be progressed if you are unable to take up the service offered.
It is important that we are able to communicate with you directly if you are the client, or with you on behalf of your child. If we are unable to reach you using the contact details provided, you will receive a text message asking you to get in touch. If we do not hear from you within seven days, the service may be withdrawn
Once you are allocated your sessions it is important that you can attend regularly so you get the most out of the sessions.
If you accept the sessions then you will be sent a text message confirming the day and time of sessions as well as the start date. Each week you will receive a reminder text the evening before your session.
If you do not attend 2 or more of sessions arranged with a therapist without letting us know we may no longer be able to offer a service.
If you have any problems once you start counselling you can always contact us on 01279 414090 to discuss.
Once you have completed your sessions with us we ask all clients to take a therapeutic break of at least 6 month before rereferring to the service.
Our impact
In 2023/24
We supported 1,848 children and young people.
With 13,003 hours of counselling.
97% of the children and young people that we support experience positive outcomes following sessions.
Stories of change
