The recent announcement by Sandhurst Counselling Services of their closure, has led to some misleading information being shared. See our statement below.
Charlotte Pavitt, director of public health, Bracknell Forest Council, said:
“In 2020, the pandemic understandably caused an increase in the need for mental health support. At that time, Bracknell Forest Council was able to allocate public health grant funding support to Sandhurst Counselling Services in the short term, related to COVID recovery. We agreed to continue the funding while pandemic recovery continued, with the clear understanding that this was short-term one-off funding until March 2025.
“While Sandhurst Counselling Service has supported local people, it is located on the borders of our borough and so they also have many clients outside of Bracknell Forest. In September 2024, 35% of their clients were from outside the borough.
“It is unfortunate that the service is not able to continue as the provider has been unable to identify alternate funding support. The increase in mental health need following the pandemic justified a public health contribution in the short term. However, the public health programme for mental health will now continue to focus on prevention and ensuring good mental wellbeing for all rather than individual clinical support.
For residents in need of individual mental health support, guidance on free local support can be found our mental health and wellbeing pages. NHS Berkshire Talking Therapies also has advice and local support for anxiety and depression.”