Over 300 qualified counsellors from all the professional bodies including ACC, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, the UK Council for Psychotherapy, and the National Counselling Society have offered to provide, at no cost, up to 10 counselling sessions on-line or the telephone for:
- People working in the NHS who are directly impacted by COVID-19, including frontline medical staff, but also those in ancillary roles in an NHS setting (e.g. nursing assistants, cleaners, porters etc)
- Paramedics and anyone working within the ambulance services who is directly impacted by COVID-19
- Anyone who has been bereaved during this time – whether or not the bereavement is due to COVID-19 infection.
Elaine explains:
“NHS staff are witnessing distressing events associated with the infection, but are also concerned for the well-being of bereaved families who because of self-isolation/lockdown do not have the normal rituals and practices that can help people in the early stages of grief. We would really appreciate people supporting this initiative with their prayers.”
A self-referral form can be accessed on the ACC website, but for those people who have no access to an email they can call telephone 0247 644 9694 to speak to a counsellor who will take their referral.