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Groupwork

I think group work will help me

Our groupwork sessions are a chance to work with other people experiencing similar difficulties in a confidential and safe environment. You get to work on your own emotions and develop coping techniques you can use right now and in future situations.

We offer 6-week groupwork workshops around ‘Managing Emotions’ where, in a small group of 6-8 people you work through the issues below and build coping techniques to manage them. 

The courses can be started before, after, or alongside one-to-one counselling, or if you don’t want counselling and just want to do the workshop, that’s also fine. It’s a great way to get support and learn practical coping strategies with other people.

Self-Refer

The issues covered during the sessions are:

Anxiety, stress and anger
Relationships
Social media
Self-image
Positive thinking
Self-care

People that have come to this group before have said it has really helped them, and that it was a relief to feel like they are not alone with how they are feeling.

We also run other workshop sessions from time to time including ‘You First’. Which is a judgment-free parenting support course, based on the ‘oxygen mask’ approach; understanding and supporting yourself first empowers you to be the best version of yourself in all areas of your life.

Contact us to find out the start dates and details of all courses and workshops coming up

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OTR Speech marks

I felt OTR listened really well and I felt comfortable. I wanted to eat more and they helped give me ideas and things to try which I did and helped me learn new strategies to keep calm and help me with situations in the future.

Male, Aged 12

An extremely good service with some lovely people. Will help you to help yourself, and provide a safe space to air your thoughts productively.

Female, Aged 14

Everyone was always very understanding, knew what they were talking about and could provide me with lots of resources to work on for myself. Also everyone was just always kind to talk to and very supportive and understanding.

Male, Aged 15

I needed counselling to air my thoughts, receive advice and to steadily work through my emotions and past, all which was done fantastically by my counsellor. I learnt lots of life lessons, that I may not have learnt if I hadn't had someone to bounce my experiences off of to be able to view them objectively. I also learnt a lot of different coping skills, preventative measures, and learnt a lot of about myself and my own needs and how to be retrospective. I learnt to care for myself, not feel so much guilt, and to be a lot more confident and have perspective.

Male, Aged 21

OTR were great at listening and explaining methods that made me feel less anxious. They’re very supportive and not likely to judge, they made me feel safe.

Female, Aged 14

They don’t judge and are friendly

Female, Aged 19

Every week at the same time someone checked in with me and asked about my life and family. She let me know if she’d be off as well. When I started seeing my counsellor I was made to feel very equal, not a counsellor but more of a conversation and relaxed and I’d always look forward to the appointments. At every part of the process with OTR I felt supported.

Female, Aged 25

I didn't know what to expect about counselling, but was pleasantly surprised. The fact that they listened so well was great, it was so nice to talk to someone and have someone be honest about your situation.

Male, Aged 13

There were check in phone calls every week I was on the waiting list, felt nice to talk to someone.

Service User

Somebody called me, we had weekly chats until I got weekly sessions. Asking how my week had been, asking how I was, I found this really supportive

Service User, Aged 13

My counsellor was friendly and approachable, which made it easier to talk than I thought.

Male, Aged 17

It really helped that I could express my feelings in confidence

Female, Aged 15

I learned to cope better with my anxiety in different ways I haven’t been taught before

Female, Aged 13

I signed up and got put on a waiting list for counselling, it’s good, you get a call every week while you wait and they ask how you are and what you’ve been up to. I didn’t really expect much from a charity but it’s actually really good. I got different tools to help me live with my anxiety. I went from being so scared I couldn’t leave the house to now I am looking for work again.

Male, Aged 24

What would I tell someone thinking about contacting OTR?... That they can and will help you. It might seem a little nerve racking at first but all they want to do is help you.

Female, Aged 20

OTR helped me a lot and opened my eyes to things. I'm much more confident in myself and don't know what I'd of done without it. I learnt how to coping techniques for different things, and learnt not to expect things to happen overnight.

Female, Aged 21

I was a bit worried as it was my first time in counselling, but it was very helpful to have someone to speak to, they were all very good at listening to what I had to say and it’s a great service if you need someone to talk to about your problems.

Male, Aged 19

Going to OTR helped me understand how I felt, control emotions and how I am with others.

Male, Aged 13

I learned a lot about myself through counselling and how to manage things like my physical and mental health. OTR’s counsellors and other members of staff were very accommodating and understanding. It was everything I needed at the time, which really helped me and if anything it exceeded my expectations

Female, Aged 20

Everyone came across and very kind and welcoming, either when I had to see them in person or just over the telephone. Whilst I was waiting a member of the OTR team would call once a week just to ask about if I wanted to remain on the waiting list. And even though that is all they had to do every week they would always check in with how I was doing and if there was anything they could help with, it made the waiting process very easy and made it less stressful.

Female, Aged 20

They were really friendly and listened to me

Female, Aged 19

Doing groupwork was supportive and I liked being with other people, made me feel like I wasn’t on my own. I learnt ways to make me less angry and it’s okay to have emotions, I wish I’d know about it before. I’d tell anyone that it’s not scary and being in a group really helps.

Male, Aged 15

I was really nervous to call but the person on the phone was helpful and friendly, they really listened and didn’t make me feel like I was wasting their time

Male, Aged 15

Counselling

Talking to someone outside of school, work or home helps build resilience as you explore and overcome issues that cause you difficulty or distress

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Young Carer

Our Young Carers program creates a web of links to support their social needs and their right to be a young person

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Whats On

Check here to see what workshops, courses, resources and jobs we have available to you.

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Your Journey with OTR starts here

1.Self-refer using the webform on otr-south.org.uk

2.While you’re on the waiting list one of our support workers will call you to check-in each week

3.When your at the top of the waiting list we’ll do an initial assessment to make sure we’re right for you

4.In the initial assessment you’ll discuss the issues you want support with and make sure OTR is suitable and safe for you

5.At this point your assigned to a counsellor that best suits your needs & you start your 6 sessions

6.Solid foundations are now in place to help you move forward with confidence

Solid foundations are now in place to help you move forward with confidence

FAQs

Can you share client information?

Can a 10 year old go on the waiting list now?

How many sessions of counselling do you offer?

Can a young person do counselling and group work at the same time?

How long is the OTR waiting list?

Self-Refer