A Nailsea counselling charity with record waiting lists is appealing for more community and business support.
Wellspring Counselling CEO, based in North Somerset, has seen a significant spike in demand for its mental health support services for both young people and adults.
The charity, which has provided affordable mental health assistance for 30 years, now contends with a burgeoning wait list for service access.
Over 100 young people aged between 11 to 18, and a similar number of adults are currently in line to use the service.
The recent surge in demand has been attributed to a trifecta of pandemic fallout, financial hardship, and social factors, leading to a drastic increase in the number of individuals in the local area seeking help.
In response to the escalating need, the charity has established a GoFundMe page.
Wellspring CEO, Wendy Griffin said: "The demand for counselling to support mental health is off the scale and because of social media, addiction and recent disastrous world news, is increasing all the time.
"People are reaching crisis point, and the level of suicides across the UK is rocketing."
In addition to the traditional one-on-one counselling sessions, Wellspring has seen success with several other initiatives aimed at broader community intervention.
A recent Wellspring programme, the MENtal Fitness course, brought in 50 attendees with positive results, while a workshop for unpaid carers offers key support.
The charity also runs a low mood and stress course and one tailored to enhance the mental wellbeing of young people.
Ms Griffin, who brings over a decade of counselling experience to her role, stated: "There is no doubt that mental health issues are now a national crisis and we are seeing this across the South West.
"The more counselling we provide, the less likely people are going to be desperate for urgent care from NHS services.
"It’s the pace of life, struggles over bills, the state of the world as well as the huge effects of the pandemic including so much loss."
Contact Wellspring via phone or email Monday through Thursday for more information.
Visit the charity's Go Fund Me Page to make a donation.
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