New Service Offers Safe Space for Young People to Talk About Their Mental Health
By Jill Dando News
A new initiative designed to offer young people a safe, non-judgmental space to talk about their mental health challenges is now up and running in North Somerset.
The Listening Pathway, launched by Wellspring, provides 11-16 year olds with the opportunity to offload their worries and anxieties to trained volunteer listeners in informal, welcoming settings such as local cafés.
The service, which aims to prevent problems from escalating into serious mental health issues, is being run by a team of five volunteer listeners, with two more in the pipeline.
The listeners, all of whom have undergone thorough training, offer their time once a week to speak with young people who may be struggling with anxiety, stress, or other difficult emotions.
CEO Wendy Griffin, who is overseeing the initiative, expressed her excitement about the programme’s potential to make a real difference in the lives of young people.
"We’re so excited to have started this pathway in addition to our counselling service," she said. "It means that young people can be listened to by a trusted adult, who isn’t their parent or teacher, before their problems become established as mental health issues which might prevent them from living normal lives."
However, Wendy also issued a call for further funding to ensure the service can continue.
"We need funding to be able to continue this valuable service though, as the current funding for it will run out in Autumn 2025," she added.
Emma Howarth, the coordinator of the Listening Pathway, plays a pivotal role in training and supervising the volunteers. As a lecturer on the Level 3 Counselling Skills course at Weston College, Emma has carefully selected listeners who possess the right skills and qualities for the role.
"The listeners are telling me the young people are finding the sessions really valuable, and they’re engaging well, being really talkative," Emma explained. "It’s clear that having someone outside of their immediate family or school environment to talk to is really helping them."
The Listening Pathway also prioritises safeguarding, with all volunteers undergoing extensive training that aligns with Wellspring’s policies and procedures.
The young people who access the service do so through a self-referral process, beginning with a phone assessment with one of Wellspring’s counsellors. Following the assessment, they are matched with an appropriate listener who is best suited to support their needs.
Parents have expressed immense gratitude for the new service. One parent shared how the Listening Pathway had come at the perfect time for their child:
"It has filled a gap for my child and has come at exactly the right time when help was needed the most," they said.
The service, which is already showing positive results, hopes to expand and continue providing invaluable support to young people in North Somerset, but funding will be key to ensuring its future.
