Children and young people

Sometimes life can feel very difficult and it can be hard to cope on your own, so at No5 we provide free, confidential counselling and support to children and young people aged 11-25. With over 45 years’ experience our counselling service has helped thousands of young people deal with their difficulties by providing a confidential space where you can talk about and explore things that are going on for you.

There may be things that bother you that you can talk about with family, friends and teachers. However, there may be things that you do not feel comfortable discussing with people close to you, and therefore you might benefit from a neutral space in which to explore them. We can support you with whatever you’re going through and no issue is too big or small to bring to No5. Some difficulties that children and young people using our service have been dealing with include:

Relationships and Friendships
Drugs and Alcohol
Self-Esteem
Exam Stress
Abuse
Home Issues
Bullying/cyber bullying
Anger
Sex
Sexuality
Anxiety
Bereavement
Depression
Self-Harm
Loss
Eating Disorders
Identity
OCD and Phobias

Maybe you just need someone independent to speak to! No5 can provide a safe, confidential place where you will not be judged and can talk in confidence.

Resources

We’ve compiled practical factsheets around these subjects and useful links on our resources page.

Referrals

Complete this form to refer yourself or someone else for counselling. This relates to both free counselling for young people or low-cost counselling for 26 years and above.

Make a referral

Carly’s experience

What does confidential mean?

Everything you tell us is confidential. This means we won’t and are not required to tell anyone else.

If we have very serious concerns for your safety and wellbeing we may, after discussion with you, need to involve others to support you and to provide what you need.

Your relationship with your counsellor is not compromised by disclosing information about your issues or worries to them. They will always seek to work with you to find a way through them.

If you would like to speak to us about this, call us for a confidential chat on: 0118 901 5668

What is counselling?

Counselling offers a safe place for you to be listened to, without judgement, to help you understand your thoughts and feelings. We can help you make sense of what you’re going through and support you with the difficulties you’re experiencing.

No5 tailors sessions for each young person. Some may only need a few sessions, others need several months. Each session lasts up to 50 minutes. The sessions will be on the same day, at the same time, each week. You will see the same counsellor every week.

Why is counselling important?

When a person keeps worries to themselves, they can grow to become greater problems, making them even harder to share. Counselling can provide an opportunity to share feelings earlier rather than waiting until it all feels too much, in a non-judgemental setting,

Similarly, the transition to adulthood does not occur overnight; it can take time to develop the individual skills and abilities that are needed to help you respond to the problems you may face. This is why No5 sees young people up to the age of 25.

Over 25’s counselling

Although No5 is a service for young people, we understand that sometimes it is helpful for other people involved with them to get support too.

Young people

No5 is Reading’s service for young people dedicated to providing free confidential counselling and emotional support to anyone between the ages of 11 and 25.

Info for professionals

We are constantly developing new training and professional development programs to meet the needs of professionals.