A NORTH Yorkshire mental health charity, which is facing unprecedented demand for its services, has seen a dramatic rise in poor mental health across the county.

Wellspring Therapy and Training, the Harrogate-based counselling and training centre, said it's especially noticeable among children and young people.

In its annual report, Wellspring said there had been a 44 per cent increase in the demand for its services since 2021.

Recommended reading:

Wellspring, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, provides private mental health counselling at affordable rates, thereby reducing the burden on the NHS.

Emily Fullarton, the charity’s chief executive officer, said: “In a year where many charities were forced to close or reduce their services, we were delighted to continue our work and see a small growth in the number of sessions we were able to offer.

“The increase in mental health problems for children and young people is of particular concern. Sadly, only one in three children and young people with a diagnosable mental health condition get access to NHS care and treatment.

“In a recent survey 76 per cent of parents said that their child’s mental health had deteriorated while waiting for support from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Nationally, data suggests suicide rates in young people aged 15 to 19 has recently risen by a third.

“Meanwhile last year, 34 per cent of adults said their mental health had worsened due to pressures from the cost-of-living crisis, which was on top of an already increased rate due to the Covid pandemic.

"These statistics are deeply troubling, as behind each one is a real human story of struggle and resilience.

“We are doing everything we can to help. Apart from increasing the counselling sessions we offer, we also opened our first Wellspring Counselling Centre in partnership with a charity, Shine, based out of St Stephen’s Church in Bradford. We also have a strong and well-respected reputation in our community and have established relationships with other services and local schools.”

The local Mental Health Children’s Commissioner supports Wellspring’s work, saying: “The charity helps alleviate the growing pressure on NHS Children and Young People’s services and makes a real difference to the lives of children and young people.”

Emily said: “We know that private counselling is too expensive for many, which is why we do our very best to keep our charges as low as possible. This is our strength and unique selling point. For example, 47 per cent of adult clients pay £15 or less for their counselling; the average donation per session last year was £15.50, with some paying as little as £5 per session.”