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About No5 Young People
About No5 Young People
About No5 Young People
About No5 Young People

About No5 Young People

Since 1971, No5 has been offering free, confidential counselling and mental health support for young people aged 11-25 who live, work or study in the RG postcode area.

Our vision is for a world that does not stigmatise young people’s mental health and accepts it as a normal part of human development.

About No5 Young People
About No5 Young People
About No5 Young People
About No5 Young People
Our Mission

Our Mission

To provide early intervention services to prevent the development of more serious problems caused by mental or physical ill health or other challenging circumstances, by providing support and advice (in particular, but not exclusively, by providing professional counselling services), to young people and their families regardless of difference, background or identity who live, work or study in Reading and the surrounding area.

Our People

Our People

We have lived experience staff team members, and Young Ambassadors who are a team of 16-25 year olds who are passionate about supporting young people in the community and often do this by sharing their own mental health stories.

Our Services

Our free, open access, self-referral services for young people include:

Up to 20 sessions of free, confidential counselling.

Up to 20 sessions of free, confidential counselling.

Counselling in 6 local Secondary Schools - Denefield, Highdown, JMA, Kendrick, The Wren, and UTC.

Counselling in 6 local Secondary Schools - Denefield, Highdown, JMA, Kendrick, The Wren, and UTC.

Young Ambassador devised content such as blogs, videos and resources.

Young Ambassador devised content such as blogs, videos and resources.

Alternative and preventative outreach workshops and programmes such as Creative Expressive Wellbeing.

Alternative and preventative outreach workshops and programmes such as Creative Expressive Wellbeing.

Young Ambassador devised and delivered mental health talks and workshops in schools, colleges and local businesses.

Young Ambassador devised and delivered mental health talks and workshops in schools, colleges and local businesses.

In 2023, we offered over 8,600 counselling sessions to local young people!

Demand for our services has never been higher, with young people being disproportionately
impacted by the pandemic. Over 1,100 young people and their families have asked us for
help in the last 12 months alone.

Counselling takes place on at the same time each week, and sessions last up to 50 minutes. You will always see the same counsellor.

All No5’s services are free and confidential. You do not need to be referred to us by a GP or any other professional, or have a diagnosis of a mental health condition to be able to access help.

In-person sessions run between 4 and 9pm Monday – Friday. Online and telephone sessions can also run during the day and over the weekend. You will be able to choose which works best for you.

Our Research and Reports

At No5 we have created a series of reports that aim to provide valuable insights and information on various topics related to young people’s mental health, helping to educate and inform individuals, communities and organisations about the latest developments and best practices.

To request counselling at No5 please fill in our referral form:

Our Values

These are values we uphold and young people tell us are important when using our services:

Trust

Trust

Responsibility

Responsibility

Approachable

Approachable

Professional

Professional

Inclusivity

Inclusivity

Equality

Equality

Respect

Respect

Confidentiality

Confidentiality

Understanding

Understanding

Outcomes

Outcomes

Young people have told us about these outcomes following counselling:

  • Wanting to live

  • Seeing a future in yourself

  • Self-acceptance

  • More positive outlook on life

  • Happiness

  • More trust in yourself

  • Self-understanding

  • Optimistic point of view

We also provide the following services

More of what we’re up to at No5

Support No5

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