Threshold Women's Counselling Service

Threshold joins BHT at the beginning of December 2007 following a period when the future of this service was in doubt.

About Threshold

Threshold offers services to women experiencing mental ill health and emotional distress, such as depression, anxiety, thoughts of suicide, self harm. Threshold services are targeted at women living on low incomes who are vulnerable and experiencing social isolation, for example, single mothers, women with experience of violence or abuse and carers.

Our Services

All Threshold services are provided free to low-cost and offered in a safe 'women only' environment, to help increase access for women.

Counselling

Our counselling is available to women living in Brighton and Hove and its surrounding areas.

Counselling for Refugees and Asylum Seekers

We also provide a counselling service to women who are refugees and asylum seekers, with interpreters where requested. This is a new project we are developing with funding from Comic Relief.

Creche Services

We offer free crèche facilities to mothers attending our counselling service.


Pictured in the Creche are some of Threshold's staff and volunteers

Why Women?

Social isolation and poverty is much more common among women, along with certain life events such as sexual, emotional and physical abuse, domestic violence and lone parenthood. These factors put women at higher risk of developing mental health issues and can have a significant and lasting impact on women's mental health.

Psychological factors

  • Most studies suggest that depression and anxiety are at least 1 and a half to 2 times more common in women than in men.
  • Research shows that self harm is more common in women than in men.
  • 10-15% of new mothers experience post-natal depression (some estimates show that as many as 1 in 4 mothers will have depression in the first year).
  • Lone mothers are 3 times more likely to be depressed than any other group of women, and research shows definite links between mental illness and higher rates of poverty for this group of women.

    • Violence and Abuse

  • Recent statistics show that almost half of all adult women in England and Wales have experienced domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking.*
  • 1 in 4 women in England and Wales have experienced domestic violence.*
  • Most studies show that women are up to 3 times more likely to have been abused than men.

    • Sociological Factors

  • Women are much more likely to live in poverty, especially lone parents or older women: It is estimated that two thirds of adults living in the poorest households are women and a similar percentage are dependent on income support.
  • Nearly twice as many men than women are in full-time paid employment and the majority of women are employed on a part-time basis, half of these in the lower paid sectors, e.g. retail.
  • Women are responsible for running the majority of households: 40% of women spend over 50 hours per week caring for someone they live with.
  • Women make up over half of the 6 million carers in the UK, the majority of these falling into the 45 - 64 years age range.
  • Older women are more likely to experience social isolation and poverty than men, and to be reliant on state pensions.

    • Figures taken from: Department of Health, 2002 and 2006, and *London: Home office, 2004