Strive Core
An affordable counselling service that offers steady support every week
Strive Core offers affordable weekly counselling with a trained placement counsellor who is carefully supervised and supported. It provides a safe and consistent therapeutic space where you can explore your thoughts feelings and experiences at your own pace. Our Core service is built on the person centred approach and centres your autonomy your lived experience and your natural ability to grow and make sense of your world. It is a welcoming and compassionate option for anyone seeking support without the higher cost of private therapy.
What Strive Core offers
Strive Core provides weekly fifty minute counselling sessions delivered by a trained volunteer counsellor on placement. Every counsellor is supervised regularly and works within the BACP Ethical Framework. Your counsellor will listen with care and aim to understand how life feels from your perspective. There is no judgement and no pressure to talk about anything before you are ready.
What will I need?
You do not need to prepare anything specific before starting counselling. All you need is a quiet and comfortable space for your session and a device that allows you to join securely if you are meeting online. It can help to have a drink nearby and something to take notes with if that feels useful for you. Most importantly you only need a willingness to show up as you are. There is no expectation and no pressure to be anything other than yourself. You do not need previous experience of counselling. Your counsellor will guide you through the process gently and at a pace that feels right for you.
Who is Strive Core for?
This service is suitable for people who want a supportive therapeutic space to explore challenges relationships low mood anxiety stress or life changes. It is also a good fit for anyone who is new to counselling and wants a steady safe place to reflect and understand themselves more deeply. Many clients choose Strive Core because it offers high quality support that remains affordable.
What can I expect in sessions?
In your sessions you will be invited to talk about whatever feels important or present for you. Your counsellor will work with you to build trust and safety so that you feel able to explore your inner world at your own pace. The person centred approach means you guide the direction of each session and your counsellor follows your lead offering empathy presence and genuine human connection.
What can Core counsellors help with?
Strive Core counsellors can support you with a wide range of emotional and personal difficulties such as low mood anxiety loneliness relationship struggles grief self esteem issues identity concerns or feeling stuck. While they may not work with very high risk or highly specialised clinical presentations they are skilled at offering deep relational support and helping you understand yourself more fully.
When Core might not be the right fit
If you are experiencing significant risk active addiction complex trauma or severe mental health concerns we may recommend our Pro service or signpost you to more specialist support. Our assessment session helps us understand your needs and ensures you are offered the most appropriate and safe level of care.
How long does counselling last?
There is no fixed number of sessions in Strive Core. Many people find that ongoing weekly counselling helps them make steady and meaningful progress. You can continue for as long as the work feels helpful and discuss any changes to frequency or endings with your counsellor when you feel ready.
Fees and practicalities
Strive Core sessions cost twenty five pounds and are paid at the time of booking. Your weekly session is held at the same time each week to provide consistency. You will also receive a written agreement explaining boundaries confidentiality and what you can expect from us. All counselling notes are kept securely for seven years and follow strict data protection standards.
Strive Pro
Professional counselling with experienced, qualified therapists
Strive Pro offers weekly counselling with an experienced qualified therapist who brings a deeper level of training and clinical skill. It provides a steady and supportive space for more complex or longstanding concerns and gives you access to a therapist who can work at greater depth and nuance. Strive Pro holds the same warm person centred foundation as our Core service but with additional experience for when life feels heavier more layered or more difficult to untangle. It is a space where you can explore yourself with a therapist who has worked with a wide range of clients and presentations.
What Strive Pro offers
Strive Pro provides weekly fifty minute sessions with a qualified therapist who has completed full professional training and ongoing continued professional development. Your therapist brings experience in working with more complex emotional difficulties and will offer a grounded and steady presence while you explore your inner world. Each therapist works within the BACP Ethical Framework and offers a compassionate relational approach built around your needs and goals.
What will I need?
You do not need to prepare anything specific before starting counselling. All you need is a quiet and comfortable space for your session and a device that allows you to join securely if you are meeting online. It can help to have a drink nearby and something to take notes with if that feels useful for you. Most importantly you only need a willingness to show up as you are. There is no expectation and no pressure to be anything other than yourself. You do not need previous experience of counselling. Your counsellor will guide you through the process gently and at a pace that feels right for you.
Who is Strive Core for?
This service is designed for people who want to work with an experienced therapist or who are seeking support with more complex issues. It may be helpful if you have lived with difficult feelings for a long time if you have experienced trauma if your life is affected by patterns you want to understand more deeply or if you simply want a high level of therapeutic expertise. Many clients choose Strive Pro because they feel ready for deeper exploration or because they want the reassurance of a therapist with significant experience.
What can I expect in sessions?
You can expect a grounding steady and relational space where your therapist supports you to make sense of difficult thoughts feelings and experiences. Sessions are guided by your pace and your readiness. Your therapist will offer careful attunement reflection and honesty with the aim of helping you understand yourself more deeply and develop greater clarity and emotional balance. There is no agenda or pressure to disclose anything before you feel safe enough to do so.
What can Pro counsellors help with?
Strive Pro therapists can support a wide range of emotional and relational difficulties including trauma complex or longstanding mental health concerns identity and relational patterns anxiety depression grief self worth issues and experiences that feel difficult to articulate. While they cannot replace crisis or acute psychiatric support they are equipped to work at greater depth with more complex material.
When Pro might be the right choice
Strive Pro may be a better fit if you are living with ongoing or intense emotional distress if earlier counselling has not gone deep enough if you feel stuck in repeating patterns or if the issues you carry feel complicated layered or difficult to unpack. Our assessment process helps us understand your needs and guides us in recommending whether Pro or Core is the most appropriate and safe service for you.
How long does counselling last?
There is no set ending point for Strive Pro. You are welcome to continue for as long as the work feels helpful and meaningful. Many people working at this level of depth benefit from longer term therapy and your therapist will explore endings with you gently whenever you feel ready.
Fees and practicalities
Strive Pro sessions cost £50 and are paid at the time of booking. Your sessions take place at the same time each week to maintain consistency and momentum. You will receive a written agreement that outlines boundaries confidentiality and what you can expect from the service. All records are stored securely for seven years in line with data protection requirements.