Referrers

We are experienced providers of psychological treatment for those suffering from anxiety, depression and interpersonal problems.

Our main counselling approach is psychodynamic but our clinical staff have a wide range of training and experience including counselling in primary care, focused short term work and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

Voluntary counselling is often thought to offer no more than tea and sympathy for the worried well. Recent research – using the well-recognised CORE system of evaluation – shows that agencies such as ACS, who have appropriately qualified and experienced practitioners, work effectively with people who have mental health problems that are at least as complex or severe as those seen within the NHS.

NICE Clinical Guidelines stress that in all psychological treatments “the strength of the therapeutic alliance is important in ensuring a good outcome”.

In psychodynamic counselling the relationship between the client and the counsellor is the central agent for change. Our open-ended counselling allows time for the relationship to strengthen and for clients to explore how present difficulties may be rooted in past problems. This is particularly valuable for clients who want to build on CBT or short-term counselling.

ACS has received funding from Awards for All in March 2009 to help the Service introduce clinical standard evaluation of its work using a nationally recognised system for psychological therapies (Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation)

Further details are available in our leaflet which you can download here.

Literate Systems