Counselling & Psychotherapy

Brandon Centre’s Psychotherapy Service

An interesting case study article about Brandon Centre’s psychotherapy service for care-experience young adults.
https://lnkd.in/eVY8rijy

It’s part of a wider article about suicide prevention funding coming to an end
https://lnkd.in/efqVd5cC

Need help immediately?

Please note that we are not an emergency service. If you or someone you know needs urgent support please phone your GP to book an emergency appointment, or go to the nearest hospital’s A&E Department.

If you are under 18, you can call Childline any time 24/7 on:  0800 1111

If you are over the age of 18 you can call the 24 hour Crisis Line on:  020 3317 6333

What is Counselling & Psychotherapy at Brandon Centre?

Brandon Centre is a place for young people in Camden and Islington to find support. We provide a regular time and space for you to talk about your concerns and explore difficult feelings in an environment that is dependable, non-judgemental, and confidential.

The Counselling and Psychotherapy service is free and can be accessed by young people aged 16-24 (up to their 25th birthday) in both Camden and Islington.

Young men in Islington (aged 16-25) can also access support through our Arsenal in the Community/Brandon Connect service:

https://brandon-centre.org.uk/services/arsenal-brandon-connect

What sort of problems can be helped through counselling and psychotherapy?

Young people ask us for help with all sorts of problems and difficulties, for example:

  • bereavement
  • being bullied
  • feeling suicidal
  • feeling isolated
  • family problems
  • feeling angry
  • feeling anxious or worried
  • self-harming
  • sexual or emotional abuse
  • feeling unhappy or depressed
  • sexual or emotional relationship difficulties; or
  • difficulties at school, college or work

You don’t need to wait until a problem is getting on top of you before you try psychotherapy. If something is troubling you, Brandon Centre is here to support you.

How can I get an appointment?

By email: You can email us on counselling@brandoncentre.org.uk Just let us know your age and which borough you live in (Camden or Islington) and that you’d like to self-refer for therapy. We will then send you a form to fill in and email back to us.

By text: You can also text us on 07520 633477 with your name, date of birth and whether you live in Camden or Islington. Our Referrals Coordinator will then get in touch to email you a referral form. If you can’t complete the form over email for whatever reason, we can arrange a time for a member of our team to call you back to fill in the form over the phone.

By phone: You can call us on 020 7267 1321 and one of our friendly front office staff will take down some contact details for you so that we can send you a referral form.

By dropping in: You can stop by Brandon Centre during our working hours and ask a member of reception for a self-referral form. This can be filled out in the waiting room or at home (and either brought back in person or emailed via scan).

Through someone else: Your parent/carer or a professional (teacher, GP, support worker) can also get in touch by email to request a referral form. Professional referrers can contact us on brandoncentre.counselling@nhs.net (Note: this email address is for professional referrers only.)

What will happen after I make a referral?

Shortly after we have received your referral form, we will contact you to confirm whether you are on our waiting list for therapy.

You will firstly be invited to an assessment appointment. This is an opportunity for you to let us know a bit more about yourself and what you hope to get out of therapy at Brandon Centre.

After your assessment appointment, the psychotherapy team will collaboratively decide what type of therapy would be most effective in supporting you.

A description of the kinds of therapy can be found here.

Types of Therapy

Based on this, and on your availability, we will then find an appropriate therapist for you. This may be the same person you met with initially, or may be someone else.

What if more help is needed than the Centre can provide?

Sometimes it might be necessary to refer you to another type of service in order to get the right type of help for you. We would always discuss this with you first and ask for your permission.

Accessing Counselling & Psychotherapy in Camden

Usually, Camden appointments are held at:

Brandon Centre
26 Prince of Wales Road
Kentish Town
London
NW5 3LG

Brandon Centre is accessible for young people using wheelchairs.

We are able to provide screen-reader-friendly forms on request or paperwork can be filled in with a member of staff over the phone.

We have both male and female therapists. Let us know if you have a need or strong preference to be seen by a particular gender.

If you have any access requirements or any specific needs, please get in touch to let us know how we can support you to access our service.

Accessing Counselling & Psychotherapy in Islington

Usually, Islington appointments are available at the following locations:

Lift

45 White Lion Street, London N1 9PW
Telephone: (Brandon Centre) 020 7267 1321
Email: counselling@brandoncentre.org.uk
Train and Underground: Angel Underground Station (Northern Line)
Buses: 4, 19, 30, 38, 43, 56, 73, 153, 205, 214, 341, 476

Platform

Hornsey Road Baths, 260 Hornsey Road, London N7 7QT
Telephone: (Brandon Centre) 020 7267 4792 
Fax: (Brandon Centre) 020 7267 5212
Email: counselling@brandoncentre.org.uk

Train and Underground: Finsbury Park Underground Station (Victoria Line)
Buses: 4, 17, 29, 43, 91, 106, 153, 210, 253, 254, 259, 271,W3, W7

There are Islington appointments on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursday afternoons and Fridays, including a limited number of early evening appointments on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The waiting time for an appointment varies, but we will contact you when we have one available at a time that is suitable for you.

Lift and Platform are accessible for young people using wheelchairs.

We are able to provide screen-reader-friendly forms on request or paperwork can be filled in with a member of staff over the phone.

We have a male and a female therapist in the Islington team. Let us know if you have a need or strong preference to be seen by a particular gender.

If you have any access requirements or any specific needs, please get in touch to let us know how we can support you to access our service.

An overview of our service at Lift and Platform can be found in our leaflet.

See our leaflet

Patient Guide

Patient guide

De-Mystifying Therapy

As part of our new De-Mystifying Therapy Project, one of our Young Ambassadors filmed a few members of our therapy team answering frequently asked questions about counselling and psychotherapy at Brandon Centre.

See our related videos

How do I know if therapy is right for me?

What will I be asked in my assessment appointment?

What’s the difference between structured and exploratory therapy?

How will talking to somebody help me?

Is everything that I say in my sessions confidential?

What happens in my first therapy session?

What happens after my therapy sessions have finished?

I think I want therapy – how do I get started?