Ealing Abbey Counselling Service

Who we are

Founded in 1994, EACS is an established voluntary sector provider of 1:1 low-cost counselling and psychotherapy to those living and working in and around the London Borough of Ealing.  We also provide a small couples counselling service and seek to offer in-house psychoeducational groups where there is an identified need and sufficient demand.  

EACS serves a very diverse local population whose mental health needs usually fall outside the remit of statutory talking therapy provision; or where people may be seeking a different environment from the statutory services.  Our clients (‘service-users’) frequently bring complex trauma histories needing more in-depth support and over a longer period.  We are proud of our long track record of being a stable local resource through our provision of affordable, accessible and high-quality therapy; and in a welcoming environment that is both professional and deeply human. 

EACS engages around 60 trainee psychotherapists/ counsellors, mostly on MSc trainings with accredited training providers, on a voluntary placement; as well as a small team of qualified practitioners for our client assessment service; and self-employed clinical supervisors who provide in-house group supervision to our volunteer counsellors.  In the day-to-day, our first priority is to provide an ethical, safe and well-run therapy service to the local community; as well as a supportive environment for our volunteer trainee therapists.  

With ongoing financial pressures on statutory and voluntary sector resources, our key priority is also income generation.  EACS is part-funded by Ealing Council in partnership with the NHS, with around 50% of referrals coming via statutory services.  Local government funding continues to be a vital part of our income stream and we keep abreast of the commissioning landscape and priorities, while continuing to advocate for our generalist provision, where we encounter many people in desperate need of longer-term talking therapy support who might otherwise fall through the net.  

EACS comes under the registered charitable status of the Trust of St Benedict’s Abbey, Ealing which, in addition to furthering its religious aims, also supports non-denominational services such as EACS that are for the wider public benefit.  We have use of our Trustees’ premises on Montpelier Avenue but the Trust has no direct day-to-day involvement in our actual service delivery and funding endeavours.   

Our culture and values

Our work is underpinned by our core beliefs and values:

• That people struggling with their mental health, particularly those with complex histories and trauma, should be able to access longer-term counselling and psychotherapy that is affordable

• That everyone should be treated with dignity and respect and no individual should be precluded from accessing appropriate support on the grounds of belonging to any marginalised group

• That within the framework of a solid therapeutic relationship, people can make deep and sustained changes in their lives and develop greater resilience within themselves to cope with the things they cannot change

• That mental wellbeing is part of a holistic whole, being the cornerstone of all other aspects of each individual’s life; and that improving mental health also benefits other relationships – personally, in the workplace, within communities and society as a whole.

Our ethos and values in the work we do for the local community run are reflected in all our working practices, with a great deal of thought and care going into all aspects of our working practices and relationships, from our recruitment processes, support and valuing of our volunteer trainee therapists and paid staff. Our way of working across all our relationships is collaborative and non-hierarchical but where lines of responsibility are clear; and we pride ourselves on a working environment that models a strong work ethic, personal responsibility and where the work is both professional and deeply human.  

All this makes working for EACS very rewarding in spite of perennial resource constraints that accompany our sector and the challenging nature of the work itself - which also calls for embracing some levity and knowing when to not take ourselves too seriously!      

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

EACS is an inclusive organisation committed to anti-discriminatory, anti-oppressive practice and encourages all minority or under-represented groups to work for us or to seek our services.

Our Equal Opportunities policy sets out our protocols for ensuring equality and fairness to all groups.  We regularly review equality and demographic data obtained from our equal opportunities forms and actively encourage feedback on all aspects of the Organisation. Any indication or revelation of unfair practice on account of anyone belonging to a disadvantaged group is immediately investigated.