With support from the Islington Giving Carers Panel, Islington Mind has been able to provide vital free counselling sessions to unpaid carers in the borough – including people from marginalised and underserved groups – helping them feel seen, heard, and supported.
This Small Charity Week, we caught up with Ossi Ron, Structured Intervention and Specialist Services (SISS) Manager at Islington Mind, to learn more about this vital project.
“I have not always had the best experience with mental health workers, so feel I must tell you how great this service is. So grateful to you and your team for the excellent support” ~ Client, Islington Mind
About the Carers Counselling Project
Being a carer can be isolating. Many juggle overwhelming responsibilities, lack time for themselves, and carry the emotional weight of putting others first – often without recognition or reprieve.
Islington Mind’s Carers Counselling Project offers a safe space where carers can talk openly, explore their emotions, and start to prioritise their own wellbeing. The project aims to provide accessible, free, inclusive, trauma informed, and culturally sensitive therapeutic interventions responding to the high demand for talking therapies.
In the past year, two trained counsellors were dedicated to working exclusively with carers. They have delivered up to 20 weeks of one-to-one talking therapy per client, tailored to each carer’s needs. Sessions were offered in-person, online or by phone – making it easier for carers to fit support around their day-to-day lives.
“ I would like to thank the Islington Mind counselling team for all the help I received. I felt heard, understood, my feelings were validated, and I never felt that I was boring or overreacting.” ~ Client, Islington Mind
Breaking down barriers
One of the biggest barriers to counselling is cost – and this service breaks that barrier down, offering inclusive, trauma-informed, culturally sensitive support at no charge. For many, this was their first opportunity to access therapy.
Islington Mind is also able to accommodate the need for support to leave the home, by linking carers to Hand in Hand (HiH) – a peer buddy project in Islington Mind that supports clients to attend appointments and activities.
“It was the first time I was having a 1:1 therapy. My therapist built a good rapport with me and I felt comfortable to open up.. They helped me to discover how my experiences and traumas from my childhood keep affecting my current life, all of which only surfaced when I started to perform my new duty as a carer.” ~ Client, Islington Mind
Small Charity Week: Financial Resilience
“Many small and medium charities like ours are being asked to do more with less, while navigating increasingly complex funding and commissioning environments.”
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing small charities?
“The funding climate for small and medium-sized charities is more challenging than ever before. There is significant uncertainty around long-term funding, often combined with short-term or project-based grants that make it difficult to plan ahead. This is happening at a time when the level and complexity of need in our communities – particularly around mental health – is higher than ever. Many small and medium charities like ours are being asked to do more with less, while navigating increasingly complex funding and commissioning environments.”
“Resilience comes from collaboration, strong local partnerships, and finding ways to centre the voice of our service users in shaping responsive and efficient services. But without more secure and flexible funding, sustainability will remain an ongoing concern for us and many others in the sector.”
Do you have any reflections on this year’s Small Charity Week theme: Financial Resilience and Sustainability?
“Financial resilience and sustainability are absolutely at the top of the agenda for local VCSE organisations. While we are resourceful and deeply connected to our communities, the scale and urgency of need – combined with ongoing cuts to public services – make it extremely difficult to build the kind of stability that allows for long-term impact.
Resilience, in our experience, has come from collaboration, strong local partnerships, and finding ways to centre the voice of our service users in shaping responsive and efficient services. But without more secure and flexible funding, sustainability will remain an ongoing concern for us and many others in the sector.”
