New counselling service opens its doors to the whole community in Lisburn

Links Counselling, which was first opened in Lurgan by CEO Laura Wylie in 2005, has seen the demand for its services increase dramatically in recent years.

The service has expanded across the Northern, Southern, and South Eastern Health Trust areas, with the latest facility opening at bespoke premises at 45 Moira Road in Lisburn earlier this year.Whilst the service has been up and running in Lisburn since April, it will be having an official opening on September 1 when guests will be able to see just what Links has to offer.

The Team Leader and counsellor at Links in Lisburn, Sarah Kaye, has said the demand for counselling has increased over the years with young people becoming one of their key demographics.

"Links Counselling began in Lurgan and over the last three years we have opened a number of other sites, with Lisburn opening in April,” explained Sarah.

"Our motto is that ‘no-one journeys alone through a difficult time’. It is about meeting people at the point of need and making sure that everyone can access counselling when they need it.

"We want to connect and link in with other organisations to support people into counselling.”

The charity received capital funding to allow them to open the new building in Lisburn, which includes five counselling rooms, and two multi purpose rooms which can be used for group sessions or art therapy.

Links offers a ‘pay what you can’ service and insists that struggling to pay for the service should not be a barrier to accessing counselling when you need it.

The charity also works with children from as young as four years of age and is available for everyone in the community.

"We had a massive waiting list before we opened in Lisburn,” Sarah continued. “There is a big demand.

"We work on a variety of specialist issues, including trauma, relationships, self esteem, grief, and more.

"Young adults would be our highest group and that is probably because of social media and people being encouraged to talk more openly about their issues.”

Access to the service is straightforward. Whilst GPs can refer patients to Links, anyone can self refer directly to the service themselves without having to speak to their doctor.

"People can self refer on our website at https://www.linkscounselling.com/,” Sarah explained.

"Clients give a brief overview of the issues and we will decide what the right support is for them.

"The space is non-judgemental and safe, It is for all members of the community. There is no divide. We want to work with everybody and offer the same level of service to everyone.

"A big part of what we want to offer is a space that feels welcoming and safe. We want people to feel at home with us.

"Early intervention is key. We want to get our name out there so that people come to us sooner rather than later.”