Epping Forest District Partners

First Stop is a charity helping those who are in need in the Braintree area and surrounding communities.

The aim is to help those who have/or are disadvantaged by: a history of poor mental health, carers, ex-offenders, homelessness, learning needs, senior citizens, single parents, socially isolated, substance misuse, those unemployed (whether on benefits or not) or anyone in hardship needing help.

The help they can get is by accessing:

• Affordable Counselling, 1:1 appointments
• Our Community Fridge (accessing good nutritional food and helping prevent food waste)
• CV Construction
• Education classes: Confidence courses (a choice of 4), Learn my Way (IT), Digital Confidence- using tablets and other devices (including internet safety), arts & crafts and basic skills, including budgeting and maths- all in a professional but informal way
• Accessing impartial Information, Advice & Guidance- to a range of services
• Safe c/o address 

And any other help that may be needed. Our expertise is that as a long established organisation, we can refer on to a range of services to meet an individual's needs.  

Futures in Mind is an inclusive service to reduce isolation for individuals in recovery with substance/alcohol misuse and/or mental health.

An opportunity to access a range of groups/activities or have a befriender, reduce your isolation, build up peer support, make new friends, build up your confidence and self-esteem, make positive changes to your life.

Home-Start Essex aims to give families with at least one child aged under 5 the best possible start in life by supporting parents and caregivers to feel less isolated, to build their confidence in themselves and their parenting and to find ways to manage the challenges they face. We build trusting, helpful relationships with families and deliver a range of flexible support to meet their individual needs, including volunteer-led home visiting, family groups, wellbeing services, school-readiness, and behaviour support programmes.

Kooth.com is commissioned to provide an online wellbeing platform which along with text based counselling also includes helpful articles, forums, activity centre, daily journal and messaging. We provide British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy accredited services and Kooth is available to young people aged 11-18 in Essex. 

The service provides a free and non-judgemental place for children and young people to connect with others and know they are not alone. They have instant access to self-help materials, fully moderated discussion forums and tools such as online journals and goal trackers. They can also contribute written pieces of work reflecting their own experiences, as well as accessing drop-in or booked text-based counselling sessions with professional counsellors.

These are online services that offer anonymised support via online counsellors, available 365 days a year, 12pm -10pm on weekdays and 6pm-10pm on weekends. 

Mind in West Essex supports people affected by mental ill health, predominantly across West Essex to make positive changes in their lives and to improve their emotional resilience.

We also aim to normalise the conversation around mental health and in doing so reduce the stigma that can be a barrier to people accessing the support that could help them to improve their quality of life.

We provide a range of services in order to help us deliver on these aims, these include: counselling as part of the NHS psychological therapies service; a private counselling service; Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training; emotional resilience training; peer support; befriending to reduce isolation; bereavement work and community support.

In addition to the above client facing services we also run Crisis Alternative Services including Sanctuary, Night Owls and Daylight Workers.

Online service only for Essex, the UK and worldwide.

Private Consultation by appointment in Harley Steet.

Aylin Webb is Psychologist, Author, Accredited CBT Therapist, Accredited Coach, EMDR Therapist, NLP & Flash Practitioner, Podcaster and speaker with over a decade of experience, she has dedicated her life to empowering individuals to overcome their anxieties, helping them feel confident and thrive in all aspects of their lives.

Born in Istanbul and having spent 13 years in Copenhagen, Denmark before settling in London, Aylin has navigated diverse challenges, including single motherhood while working full-time. Aylin's journey has been marked by overcoming personal hardships, including battling feelings of inadequacy, anxiety and fear of failure. Through her own experiences and professional expertise, she has helped thousands of individuals break free from trauma and anxiety, guiding them to discover their inner strength and regain self-confidence.

Aylin understands the struggles of women who face anxiety and the impact it has on self-worth and relationships. As your coach/therapist, she will provide you with tailored support to conquer your fears, overcome emotional distress and self-limiting beliefs, enabling you to lead a happier and more fulfilling life.

Your transformative journey towards self-discovery, resilience, and empowerment begins here! By investing in yourself, you will not only enhance your own well-being but also positively influence the lives of those around you, shaping a brighter future for generations to come.

Transforming trauma and fear into strength and confidence, Mind & Mood combines Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), and life coaching to help you achieve lasting change.

Please note that this service is online, private and chargeable. Join Aylin Webb on this path to resilience and self-empowerment. Let's transform your trauma and anxiety into strength and confidence, together.

We all experience times when we feel like we can’t cope, sometimes this can start to affect our everyday lives and prevent us from doing the things we normally do.

If you are suffering from depression, anxiety, excessive worry or low mood, then NHS Talking Therapies can help.

NHS Talking Therapies is a FREE service and you don’t need to visit a GP to get help you can self refer for free via our website. A chat bot will appear and ask questions and refer you to the service, fill out the form on the website, or call us on 0333 015 2966. We can support you by providing the tools you need to get your life back on track.

Open Arts is a community arts and mental health programme run as one of the charities managed within the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust Charity Fund. 

Our aims are to promote confidence, skills, self-esteem and positive mental health. Open to Essex residents aged 16+ with mental ill health, those that would like to manage their wellbeing through creativity and to carers who would like to engage with the wider community through the creative arts within a group setting. 

Our courses offer an opportunity to learn new creative skills and techniques within a safe and supportive environment. No experience is necessary.

Looking for counselling? We’ve been working in the local communities of Essex and East London for over a century. We’re experts in providing a safe space, amplifying voices and supporting people to grow and develop. 

Recognised as a centre of excellence by those in the sector, Renew’s services are delivered by a team of dedicated counsellors with a wealth of experience.

We offer low-cost, and sometimes funded, professional counselling to the community and surrounding areas and strive to offer a service that rivals an expensive private practice, but at an affordable price. Many of the people we see would not be able to afford counselling without our service.  

We provide counselling for:

• Children
• Young people
• Adults
• Schools
• Couples
• Eating Disorders
• Clergy

We are proud to be accredited by the BACP and abide by their code of ethics.

Contact us to learn more about counselling at Renew and to book an initial assessment.  

Training with Renew

As well as our counselling offer, we’re proud to be known as a centre for excellence for counselling training and supervision. We offer high-quality, professional training at a range of levels. Whether you’re just starting out in your counselling journey, looking for extra support in a caring profession or brushing up on your skills and knowledge, we have a course for you.  We’re proud to partner with Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) to deliver a number of our courses. Head to our website or contact our team to find out more.

Whether you’re coming to Renew for counselling, to study on one of our courses or for supervision, our offer is all about empowering you. We’re passionate about giving you a safe space to do the work and a voice to make yourself heard, but ultimately our goal is to enable you to build on your own strengths as you grow and develop.

PLEASE NOTE, there are 3 different number for the different areas. Basildon, Brentwood and Chelmsford.

Spark is a charity that provides counselling and mentoring services for young people in the Epping Forest and surrounding areas. We also run mental wellbeing workshops in schools, as well as parenting/nurture courses in the community. We believe in building relationships, coming alongside a young person and their family, and inspiring a sense of hope together.