Brandon Centre is a place for young people to get help with personal problems from people who are professionally trained. The counselling and psychotherapy service is free and confidential. We see young people aged 16 – 24 who live in the boroughs of Camden or Islington.
You can refer yourself by telephoning, emailing or dropping into our Centre. Alternatively, you can be referred by someone else, for instance your GP. There are appointments available Monday to Friday, including early evening appointments on some days.
The Centre is accessible for young people using wheelchairs.
We offer up to 16 sessions of one-to-one weekly psychotherapy for young people aged 16-24 (up until one’s 25th birthday) who either live or have a registered GP in Camden or Islington. We see young people remotely via Microsoft Teams, at Brandon Centre, or at one of our local youth hub partners.
In addition to our core psychotherapy service, we have a few service provisions targeting specific groups of young people:
- LGBTQ+ young people
- Young people with a recent mental health crisis
- Leaving Care: Therapy for care leavers aged 18-24 old in both Camden & Islington
- Hostels Project: Therapy for Islington young people aged 16-24 residing in DePaul or YMCA (LandAid) hostels
- She is Supported: Therapy for Islington girls aged 10-24 using Prospex, Highbury Roundhouse, or Mary’s youth clubs
- Brandon Connect: Therapy for Islington young men aged 17-24 who are not in education, employment, or training
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:
You do not need to wait until a problem gets on top of you before you try counselling. Get in touch with us even if what is troubling you does not seem that serious as often it can be easier to resolve than if you leave it and it gets worse.
Read our patient guide to find out more:
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 a chance for you to tell us 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.
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 someone else in our team.
What if more help is needed than the Centre can provide?
Sometimes it might be necessary to refer you to another type of service to get the right type of help for you. We will always discuss this with you first and ask for your permission.
Where will my appointment be?
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 can provide screen-reader-friendly forms on request or paperwork can be filled in with a staff member 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 specific needs, please tell us how we can support you to access our service.
Accessing Counselling & Psychotherapy in Islington
Usually, Islington appointments are available at the following locations:
Brandon Centre
26 Prince of Wales Road
Kentish Town
London
NW5 3LG
Lift Youth Hub
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
Collective Theatre (Formerly Platform Youth Hub)
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 Monday to Friday, including a limited number of early evening appointments. 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 Collective Theatre are accessible for young people using wheelchairs.
We can provide screen-reader-friendly forms on request or paperwork can be filled in with a staff member 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 specific needs, please tell us how we can support you to access our service.
Who are the therapists at Brandon Centre?
Our psychotherapy service team is made up of highly skilled, professionally registered, psychotherapists and psychologists, who are experienced in working with young people. We also provide placements for postgraduate trainees on professional trainings, including clinical psychology doctoral trainees.
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.
