Threshold Annual Report 2007/08

In 2007/08 Threshold provided counselling and crèche services to women presenting with a wide range of issues including post traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, post natal depression, self harm, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, parenting issues, stigma, social isolation, abuse, violence, poverty and addiction.

In addition, we ran a specific project in partnership with the Hollingdean Programme providing counselling and crèche services for pregnant women and mothers in the Hollingdean area. This included providing supervision for the ‘Birth Stories’ midwife who sees women who have had traumatic birth experiences. Piloted in Hollingdean, this project is now a city wide service.

Threshold also provided counselling specifically for Refugee and Asylum Seeker Women, funded through Comic Relief. As part of this project we facilitated the Ethiopian Women’s Group for women who arrived in Brighton through the Gateway Protection Programme. An independent evaluation of this group was carried out by a researcher with the help of an interpreter. It informed us on the best way forward for the group being a good model of service user involvement.

Due to funding difficulties we faced many challenges in 2008 and our counselling and crèche services were under threat of closure at the end of November, when we saw other losses within the service. However, in December 2007, Threshold Counselling and Crèche Services were delighted to join with BHT, which meant that Threshold could continue to provide vital support to women city wide.

Future Aims 2008/09

In 2008/09 we will develop the counselling service in the following ways:

  • Through the Honorary Counsellor Placement Scheme for those who have completed their training and are working towards accreditation.
  • Group work ( for example, art therapy, parenting, and post natal depression).
  • Expansion of core counselling team through further recruitment.
  • Developing peer support groups

    Through these service developments we aim to see 70 women per week by 2009.

    Additionally, we will support the most vulnerable women in gaining access through introducing a volunteer outreach programme, which will promote the service and support women in coming to their first appointment – e.g. mothers and refugees.

    In 2008/09 we will develop the crèche service in the following ways:

  • We will extend the number of hours that the crèche is available
  • We will explore becoming OFFSTED registered
  • We will work towards a well being model with the counselling service

    We will build on local links including:

  • Offering University students placements with us to carry out independent evaluations of the service
  • Developing good links with BHT Legal Services
  • Developing our consultancy with local services (for example, midwives, Millview Psychiatric Hospital’s Women Only Ward)
  • Attending local forums and strategy meetings relevant to working in the mental health field and in working with women's issues and in childrens services.

    Achievements 2007/08

  • Average waiting time for assessment in days (target below 20 working days) = 16 working days and average waiting time for 1st appointment from date of assessment (target below 80 working days) = 55 working days
  • 20% BME representation in clients accessing the service
  • 51% of service users contributed to evaluating the service and of these 94% reported experiencing some improvement in their mental and / or emotional well being

    Service User Views

    ‘I would recommend your organisation to anyone who could do with some help since it did so much for me’ ‘this is an excellent service and I’d recommend it. Fast. Very effectively run. Thank you.’

    ‘I have had counselling on and off for ten years and Threshold was by far the best I have received so far.’

    ‘I would like to thank Threshold for enabling me to access low cost counselling. It would otherwise have been financially unlikely that I would have been able to access such support. Thank you for your patience and skilful support.’

    ‘I am very grateful for all the help offered to me by all the staff – it has been somewhere safe to go and talk. Thank you very much.’

    ‘I found the service and staff excellent. Feel so much more able to cope with life and problems.’

    ‘I found this an amazing journey. I cried and got angry and it was OK. I learnt to let go and express myself.’

    ‘The service you provided was excellent the staff was friendly. I really benefited from the sessions.’

    ‘I am very grateful for the counselling I received. It has benefited me. I would not have been able to afford this service privately. My counsellor was excellent. Thanks.’

    ‘I cannot praise the people of Threshold highly enough – in fact – they saved my life. This service is a necessity to the community.’

    ‘Going to Threshold was the best thing I’ve done in my life, for myself. The staff was welcoming respectful and discreet. I felt at ease and relieved straight away.’

    ‘I think that the counsellors there do a great job and if they help people like me they can help other people as well.’

    ‘Thank you. Threshold was there at a very low point and I found the counselling of tremendous benefit. It’s been my only space to discuss some very difficult issues and has really helped me out of a pretty dark state. It’s definitely helped me become happier again – which has had an ongoing impact on my children and partner.’

    ‘This was my second counselling at Threshold and I don’t know what I would have of done if I didn’t have people like Threshold to turn to it is so important to me. Thank you so much.’

    ‘I found I wasn’t judged for what was happening to me in the sessions, I found I was becoming more relaxed as time went on.’

    ‘Really glad Threshold will stay open as you’ve really helped me. I appreciated my counsellors non-judgemental approach and good advice. She was particularly helpful when I was coming to terms with bereavement and helped me feel less depressed / guilty.’

    And of the crèche:

    ‘I felt totally comfortable leaving my 18 month year old in the small humble crèche knowing he was nearby and staff being so friendly – also the people in the office were always very easy to talk to.’

    ‘The crèche was fantastic with fantastic staff – my son misses the crèche.’

    ‘Very useful and important as I have no one else to take care of my kids.’

    ‘It was excellent – the staff were lovely and my little boy has really enjoyed it.’

    ‘Very good, my children were quite happy.’

    ‘Excellent – made it possible to use service.’

    Threshold joined BHT in December 2007. Before that it was an independent charity. Each year it produced an annual report. The 2007 Annual Report, produced before Threshold joined BHT is reproduced here.