News release · 13 February 2008

Major counselling charity launches capital appeal at House of Lords

wpf Counselling and Psychotherapy, one of the largest charity providers of counselling and psychotherapy in England, last night launched its £4.9 million capital appeal with a reception for influential supporters, hosted by Lord and Lady Waldegrave, at the House of Lords.

Over 60 guests, including Lord Hurd, Prue Leith and Vivienne Guinness attended the launch which included presentations on the work of the charity by the chief executive, a trustee and a former trainee.

wpf Counselling and Psychotherapy, a £1.6m charity founded in 1969, plans to move to new purpose-built premises in central London in July 2008 and needs to raise £1m by July 2008 and a further £3.9m by Autumn 2009.

Lesley Murdin, wpf Counselling and Psychotherapy chief executive said:

“The move provides us with a fantastic opportunity to provide a safe place to talk in the centre of London. There is an increasing recognition that counselling and psychotherapy play a vital part in the management of mental health problems and our new premises will help us to extend the services that we offer and help build the nation’s peace of mind.”

The charity sees more than 500 people each week for counselling and psychotherapy at its current Kensington head office alone, operating a sliding scale of fees according to income. Each potential client has an in-depth assessment before a recommendation is made as to which approach would be most appropriate – from one-to-one weekly psychodynamic counselling through CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) to group analytic therapy and intensive two or three-times weekly psychoanalytic psychotherapy. It is also one of the leading training bodies in counselling and psychotherapy, and last year had 470 trainees on introductory and professional courses, with a further 800 attending evening and weekend workshops.

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More media information from:
Lesley Murdin
Chief Executive
wpf Counselling & Psychotherapy
Tel: 020 7361 4800
E: appeals@wpf.org.uk