We welcome people from all walks of life, including those who have had complex experiences. If you’re facing challenges—whether emotional, relational, financial, or otherwise—we’ll work with you to find a pace and support that fits. 

In some cases, we may suggest alternative services to ensure your safety and well-being.

Important Information About Our Counselling Service
Our counsellors do not provide diagnoses or clinical assessments. Counselling helps you explore thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a supportive and confidential setting.

We keep brief, factual session notes to support safe and ethical practice. These notes record attendance and key themes only and are not detailed records of what you say in sessions.

Counselling notes are confidential and are not written for legal, medical, or evidential purposes.

Who Our Counselling Is For
St Martin’s offers counselling for people experiencing common emotional, relational, and well-being difficulties who would benefit from talking therapy in a safe, supportive environment.

We are a good fit for people who:
– Are experiencing low mood, anxiety, stress, loss, relationship challenges, or
general emotional difficulty
– Are navigating life changes or feeling stuck and want space to understand themselves
– Feel able to attend regular sessions and work collaboratively with a counsellor
– Have some stability in their day-to-day life, even if things feel difficult
– May have occasional thoughts of self-harm but do not feel at immediate risk and can work safely within weekly therapy

In short:
We support people whose difficulties are significant but manageable within a
weekly counselling model.

When We Are Not the Right Service
Some situations require more intensive, specialist, or crisis-focused support than we can safely offer.

We are not able to work with clients who:
–  Are in immediate or high-intensity risk and need urgent or crisis care
–  Are experiencing active psychosis or mania
–  Have ongoing alcohol or drug use that affects safety or reliability
–  Are experiencing eating-related difficulties
–  Require Court-ordered or mandated counselling, including counselling required by a court, probation service, or other statutory body
–  Require Counselling primarily linked to legal proceedings, where therapy is needed to support or influence a legal case
–  Require specialist or statutory-based support (e.g., forensic, court-ordered, complex trauma teams)
–  Have significant cognitive or learning needs requiring adapted therapy
–  Present with risk to others or safeguarding concerns we cannot safely hold
–  Need daily or crisis-only support rather than weekly therapy
–  Require the input of a multidisciplinary mental-health team