Mental health service transitions for young people

Practice example: Y-Talk counselling and therapy service, Sheffield YMCA

Purpose

Y-Talk counselling and therapy service is a third sector service for 16-25 year olds who require emotional and mental health support. The service is based in Sheffield and provided in the city centre and outreach centres, including schools and community settings.

Y-Talk is a key part of Sheffield YMCA’s Interchange Emotional Well-Being Programme which works mostly with young people aged 13-25. The other central strand of the Interchange Programme is Right Here Sheffield which is a joint initiative between the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and the Mental Health Foundation designed to develop new ways of working to address the mental health needs of young people aged 16-25. In addition, there is a small art therapy project offering therapeutic work in primary schools.

Resources

The Y-Talk service employs a core team consisting of:

• Full time Counselling Manager
• Lead Counsellor (3 days) with special responsibility for developing outreach services
• Three time-limited contracted counsellors/therapists working in schools, plus a pool of sessional practitioners. This enables the project to provide a flexible service, able to expand and contract as funding allows.

Link to full details of practice example.