Sixmas appeal: raising £60,000 for mental health support

Having a neurological condition means you are twice as likely to have depression or anxiety. You are also twice as likely to take your own life.  

Even before the pandemic, more than half of our clients regularly felt lonely. The number of people coming to The Brain Charity’s counselling service at the point of suicidal thoughts and mental health crisis has shot up by 50%.

Demand for our services is at an unprecedented, all-time high. Waiting lists are lengthening at a time more people than ever urgently need our help.

"My phone befriending call is my only interaction with another person. The lockdowns have really set me back in terms of mental health, and The Brain Charity’s phone calls have been one of the few things there to help me. It is no exaggeration to say The Brain Charity have been a life saver." - Telephone befriending client Ste, who has autism and shielded alone throughout the pandemic.
Read Ste’s full story here.

1 in 6 people are left out in the cold to deal with their condition alone

We desperately need more funds to increase how many clients our counsellors and befrienders, a vital lifeline for hundreds, can see each week.

The Brain Charity operates a counselling service specifically tailored to the needs of people with neurological conditions. We provide person-centred and integrated therapies and CBT, have experience working with phobias and conditions such as OCD, and work with individuals, couples, families and groups.

We also offer support groups and offer lifeline weekly befriending calls for those who are isolated and lonely.

All our emotional support services are totally free, not just to anyone with a neurological condition but to their family members, carers and friends too.

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"I was waking up and didn't want to be awake. I was in a dark place. My counsellor was absolutely amazing, it was the best thing I could ever have done. I needed a specialist who understood neurological conditions - not many people know what a wide-reaching impact they have on your life." - Counselling client Marie, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour shortly after her daughter's birth.
Read Marie’s full story here.

Pledge to give £6 a month this Christmas, and fund vital emotional support

Over a year, your £6 a month will:

  • Provide 3 hours of lifesaving counselling sessions for someone struggling with their mental health
  • Give 7 isolated and lonely people a lifeline with a weekly befriending call

£60,000 would enable us to:

  • Provide 300 more eight-week counselling courses
  • Fund 6,000 more hour-long weekly befriending calls
Donate online now
"Sometimes people speak to you as if you’ve just had a twisted ankle. Because I don’t look like I’ve got anything wrong with me they don’t take it seriously. It’s so good to have someone who treats me like they understand. The Brain Charity is heaven sent – I would be lost without it." - Brain haemorrhage survivor and telephone befriending client Sonya.
Read Sonya’s full story here