The purpose of this assignment is to choose a counselling agency and research how it operates. I have chosen Off The Record.
I chose this organisation because there was once a place in Southampton that offered a similar service that I visited when I was a troubled teenage to get some help. It helped me greatly, more than I realised at the time even, and I’ll always be grateful to them.
What is Off The Record?
Off The Record is a registered charity that has supported young people in managing emotional wellbeing issues since 1977.
They put young people at the heart of what they do, and offer two primary services which are tailored to the specific needs of each person they see – one-to-one support and group support.
Whilst waiting for counselling, their Support Workers contact the young person weekly, to listen and provide information and resources that may be of help. They also offer counselling to parents / family of the young person. Group support consists of sessions to teach self-coping techniques, in-school presentations and sessions, drop-ins, and a specific programme for young carers.
Off The Record has a small number of staff, they couldn’t do all of this without their volunteer counsellors, group-work volunteers and volunteer support workers. Their volunteers are an integral part of their service provision, who give several hours per week of their time to support Young People through their issues. In recognition of this, in 2011 Off The Record received The Queen’s Award for outstanding voluntary contribution to the local area. In 2017 they gained the Investors in Volunteers award, certifying their provision of a high-quality volunteer experience.
What do they provide?
Off The Record provide friendly, non-judgemental advice and support so that young people can make better-informed choices. They offer a variety of information and support access points. It can be via a professional referral but most often self-referral, and enquiries can be by phone, email, website message or drop-in contact. The flexible access is supported by a wide range of day and evening opening times.
Monday to Friday phone guidance and support is delivered by staff during office hours equalling 284 hours of calls in the 2018-19 year.
The daily afternoon drop-in support plus phone information and guidance is delivered by their volunteer support workers until 9pm Monday to Thursday and 5pm on Friday, to potential clients, parents, professionals and to support clients on their waiting list.
80-100 waiting list calls are made most weeks totalling over 4000 calls per year.
Anyone can seek information from them by phone, email or in-person. If someone drops into their main office or group-work venue, they will help them look through their range of leaflets and access online information. They will work with people to find options that interest and support them, whether that is offered by Off The Record or other organisations.
Counselling Services
One to one sessions are free and offered at the Leigh Park office, Monday to Friday afternoons and evenings, 4,000 sessions are offered each year.
Each session is 50 minutes in length with the same allocated counsellor. People can use the counselling to help them think more clearly, make decisions or changes in their lives or come to terms with difficult experiences, both past and present.
Before people start counselling, they will attend an introductory appointment so they can find out how Off The Record’s services work, and they can gather some contact details and help the individual to do a self-assessment of their needs. Off The Record will support the person to explore if counselling is for them or if another service would be better: groupwork, a managing emotions course or a young carer’s programme. Once the person has decided that counselling is the service they want, the person will be added to the waiting list. While waiting for a counsellor to become available that meets your needs and availability, Off the Record provides weekly phone calls.
Once counselling commences, the individual will attend weekly, and their counsellor will work with them to build a strong, safe and confidential relationship with regular reviews. Counselling support usually lasts for about 8-12 sessions; sometimes it can be less and occasionally some young people benefit from seeing their counsellor for much longer.
Off The Record’s counsellors are all volunteers with experience of working with young people. They recruit volunteer counsellors who are either fully qualified or are training at university and have “fitness to practice” status. All counsellors adhere to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy’s Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions.
Workshops and Groupwork
Off The Record’s groupwork sessions are designed to benefit young people experiencing emotional health and wellbeing difficulties. These sessions provide an opportunity to work with other young people in a safe environment, to combat feelings of isolation, gain positive experiences of support networks and by collaborating with others to identify their own strengths and weaknesses, enhancing self-awareness.
They work with young people to provide:
Groupwork can be a session for 6-8 young people using draw and talk, compiling a sketch/work book of feelings and issues, discussion with staff and peers; plus having fun through games and time together.
‘Managing Emotions’ sessions are held regularly throughout the year. It provides 6 sessions for young people to access before or after one-to-one counselling or for those that want support with practical coping strategies rather than individualised talking therapy.
Off The Record also offer a range of support projects in local schools, in small groups or following assemblies/year group presentations. In 2018 they undertook transition support from primary to secondary school, improving emotional health. In 2019, Off The Record are running a self-harm support project.
Other workshops are also offered to clients such as information sessions on money management, as well as opportunities to access music, art and sports-based activity days and even bushcraft!
What is their impact?
Children and young people with good mental health do better. They are happier in their families; they learn better and do better at school; they are able to enjoy friendships and new experiences. They are more likely to grow up to enjoy healthy and fulfilling lives and to make a positive contribution to society and to have good mental health as an adult.
Intervening early and positively makes a real difference at every stage of the life course. Off The Record know that giving children and their families the right type of support in their earliest years can help to avoid many of the costly and damaging social problems in society.
Good mental health is associated with positive life outcomes and is essential for children to develop their potential, work productively and creatively, build strong and positive relationships with others, and contribute to their community.
The Young People seen at Off The Record present with a range of issues and needs:
Parents/carers felt that that their children generally had to wait too long to access services via CAMHS. They also felt there were gaps in services for children suffering from ‘low-level’ mental health difficulties, including anxiety disorders, which are among the most prevalent mental ill health problems affecting adolescents. They also felt the need for more access to counselling services, support with attachment difficulties and transition; Off The Record helps to address these concerns. Helping young people manage crises by bolstering resilience, promoting wellbeing and access to a range of talking therapies can reduce anxiety. The cost to the economy of all-age mental health problems is estimated at £105 billion a year – roughly the cost of the entire NHS.
Off The Record is proud of the positive impact it has on the young people, in the service they provide to help their clients achieve better emotional health and wellbeing:
As I mentioned above, I picked Off The Record because I made use of a similar service that used the same name, but was based in Southampton, about twenty years ago. They helped me at a time when I was lost and seeking direction, and I will be forever grateful to them for that. Once I have learned to drive and am able to travel easily to such places, I would like to volunteer for them. Not only would I be putting something back in to society, but I would be gaining both personal and professional experience. I do feel like I need to change jobs to something based around social care that fits around my son being at school, but my options are limited at the moment due to not having a car. Maybe after the expense of Christmas I can focus on changing jobs. Getting experience of the environment by volunteering would be invaluable, and it would also go some way to making me feel like I’m making a difference in the world by helping more people in meaningful ways.
