Emotional Wellbeing Group

What Emotional Wellbeing Group does

Emotional Wellbeing Group (EWG) is a not-for-profit community mental health organisation founded in 2019 in Wigan, North West England, registered as a company limited by guarantee (Companies House number 12520276). It provides accessible counselling and emotional wellbeing services to individuals, couples, young people aged 13-17, and businesses in Wigan and surrounding areas. Its core services span three delivery channels: face-to-face counselling at the Wigan town centre hub (14 Market Street), webcam counselling delivered over SSL-encrypted Zoom, and a free live chat drop-in service using Tawk.to. Specialised offerings include couples counselling, group therapy, peer support groups, and self-help resources. The organisation also runs community mental health training (ASIST, SafeTALK, Connect 5, SPEAK) and provides workplace Employee Assistance Programmes, reflective practice, and bespoke wellbeing packages to businesses and VCFSE sector organisations. Additional revenue streams include therapy room hire to external practitioners across three rooms (Maple, Oak, Elm) and the sale of Mindful Jars (physical mindfulness exercise cards).

The underlying technology is intentionally lean: standard video conferencing (Zoom with SSL encryption) for remote sessions, Tawk.to for live chat, and a Squarespace-hosted website with a self-help resource hub. EWG does not develop proprietary software, deploy AI/ML systems, or expose APIs. Service access is via self-referral, phone, email, online booking, and walk-in availability. The organisation is led by co-founders Stephanie Palin (MA BSc MBACP DipPST EMDR Sex and Relationship Therapist with 35+ years experience) and Anna Palin-Swift (MSc BSc PGDip DSA MBACP Relationship Therapist with 5+ years in online service provision), supported by BACP-registered counsellors across multiple modalities including CBT, Person-Centred, EMDR, Mindfulness, and Systemic therapy.

The business model is a hybrid of donations, grants, and fee-for-service income. Counselling sessions operate on a minimum donation basis (typically £15-£25 per session, with reduced rates for Universal Credit and Carers Allowance recipients), while live chat and most VCFSE training are free. EWG relies heavily on donations and grant funding from charitable trusts and foundations including the National Lottery Community Fund, Forever Manchester, Ardonaghtrust, JIGSAW Foundation, Coalfields Trust, and Cheshire Community Foundation, alongside commercial income from EAP contracts, paid training courses (£269 for the Level 3 Mental Health First Aid), and therapy room hire (£8.50/hour to £400/month). As a community-led organisation, no revenue figure is publicly disclosed; stated monthly cost anchors (peer support £370/month, live chat £810/month, core costs excluding staff £1,300/month) indicate a low-overhead operating base consistent with a hyperlocal not-for-profit.

Name

Emotional Wellbeing Group

Legal name

Emotional Wellbeing Group Ltd

Website

https://ewgcounselling.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Emotional Wellbeing Group is a Wigan-based not-for-profit founded in 2019 that delivers free and low-cost counselling, mental health training, and workplace EAP services across North West England, funded by donations, charitable grants, and minimum-donation session fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Mental Health Services

NAICS

Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Other Individual and Family Services (62419)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health Counseling & Psychotherapy Services (EDALAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral & Mental Health Virtual Care (EAP/Teletherapy) (HLALADAB), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Mindfulness-Based Coaching & Training (MBSR/MBCT-style) (HSADAJAB)

Keywords

• Community mental health
• Low-cost counselling
• Employee assistance programmes
• Mental health training
• Therapy room hire

Headquarters

HQ city

Wigan

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Community Funding: Relies heavily on donations from individuals and community supporters to fund free and low-cost counselling services. Income generated through donations is reinvested directly back into the local community.
2. Charitable Trust and Foundation Grants: Receives funding from charitable trusts, foundations, and local supporters including National Lottery Community Fund to support ongoing projects and core costs.
3. Minimum Donation for Counselling Sessions: Face-to-face, webcam, and couples counselling services operate on a minimum donation basis (£15-25 per session) to help cover costs while keeping services accessible.
4. Room Hire: Three therapy rooms (Maple, Oak, Elm) available for hire to other therapists and practitioners at various price points from £8.50/hour adhoc to £400/month full-time rental.
5. Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) for Businesses: Provides workplace wellbeing services including EAP, mental health training, and compassionate leadership training to businesses and organisations.
6. Mental Health Training Courses: Offers free mental health training to VCFSE sector and accredited Level 3 Award in Mental Health First Aid (£269) to organisations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Emotional Wellbeing Group is a not-for-profit community mental health organisation delivering free and low-cost counselling to individuals, couples, and young people in Wigan and surrounding areas via three channels: face-to-face sessions at its Market Street hub, Zoom-based webcam counselling, and a free Tawk.to live chat drop-in. It complements these core services with a workplace Employee Assistance Programme for businesses, accredited mental health training, and paid therapy room hire for external practitioners.

Product overview

Emotional Wellbeing Group (EWG) is a not-for-profit community mental health organisation offering a comprehensive portfolio of accessible counselling and emotional support services. The core offering comprises multiple delivery channels: face-to-face counselling at their Wigan town centre hub, webcam counselling via Zoom, and live chat counselling via Tawk.to. Specialised services include young peoples counselling (ages 13-17), couples counselling, and group therapy sessions. EWG also provides workplace Employee Assistance Programmes for businesses and delivers free community mental health training including ASIST, SafeTALK, and Connect 5. Additional offerings include room hire for external therapists (Maple, Oak, and Elm rooms), an online support hub with self-help resources, and physical products like Mindful Jars. Services operate on a minimum donation basis to maintain accessibility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Face-to-Face Counselling In-person counselling sessions delivered at the EWG counselling hub at 14 Market Street, Wigan, for individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, stress, relationship issues, and other emotional wellbeing challenges. Approaches include Person-Centered Counselling, CBT, Psychotherapy, Relaxation and Visualisation, Mindfulness, and Systemic therapy.
• Webcam Counselling Online video counselling sessions delivered via Zoom with SSL encryption, allowing clients to receive emotional support from home without software downloads or account setup. Targets individuals unable to attend in person due to mobility, childcare, distance, or anxiety.
• Live Chat Counselling Free, confidential online drop-in chat service that connects users with trained EWG counsellors via the Tawk.to widget during specified hours. No appointment is needed, and the service is open Thursdays 6pm-8pm and Saturdays 10am-12pm.
• Young Peoples Counselling (13-17) Individual face-to-face counselling for teenagers aged 13-17 addressing school stress, friendship difficulties, anxiety, family issues, and self-confidence challenges. Parents or guardians must book the initial appointment for under-16s.
• Couples Counselling Relationship counselling delivered in-person or via webcam, providing a supportive space for couples experiencing communication difficulties, affairs, separation, or other relationship challenges to communicate, reflect, and rebuild understanding together.
• Group Therapy and Wellbeing Sessions Group therapy and wellbeing sessions providing opportunities for participants to connect, share experiences, and learn skills in a supportive group setting, with focus areas including wellbeing, relaxation, life skills, and emotional resilience.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for Businesses Workplace wellbeing offering for organisations that bundles EAP access, mental health awareness training, compassionate leadership training, reflective practice sessions, and bespoke wellbeing packages delivered by qualified professionals. Designed for companies seeking to support employee mental health and meet CSR objectives.
• Community Mental Health Training Training programme for VCFSE sector workers and organisations covering ASIST, SafeTALK, Connect 5, SPEAK, ASK, counselling skills, trauma and resilience, group dynamics, and an accredited Level 3 Award in Mental Health First Aid. Free for VCFSE sector workers; paid for other organisations.
• Therapy Room Hire (Maple, Oak, Elm) Three therapy rooms at the Wigan counselling hub available for rent to external therapists and practitioners: Maple Room (calm blue tones for individual/couples), Oak Room (warm welcoming space), and Elm Wellbeing Room (flexible for training, meetings, workshops, or therapy). Pricing tiers range from £8.50/hour adhoc to £400/month full-time.
• Mindful Jars Physical product containing 30 mindfulness exercises designed to bring mindfulness into daily activities. Sold at the Wigan counselling hub for £3.50 per jar.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free live chat service offered weekly: Thursday 6pm-8pm and Saturday 10am-12pm
• +1 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Cedars TI (Cedars Therapy Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrusted partner training organisation offering accredited counselling courses. EWG refers people to Cedars for counsellor training and CPD programmes.
• CHCP (Community Health Care Partnership)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partnership organisation collaborating with EWG on community health initiatives.
• Wigan CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner working with EWG to deliver mental health training in Wigan Borough. Co-funds VCFSE training programme.
• Mental Health Learning LtdcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExternal training provider delivering ASIST suicide intervention training, funded by EWG and delivered in partnership with Wigan Council.
• PAPYRUS UKcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSuicide prevention charity providing SPEAK training, funded by EWG as part of their suicide prevention programme.
• TalkFIRSTcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTraining provider delivering Connect 5 mental wellbeing programme, funded by EWG and partnered with Wigan Council.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mind: National mental health charity providing advice, support, and local Mind network services across the UK. Comparable in mission and community-based service delivery but operates at much greater scale and breadth.
• Samaritans: UK charity providing confidential emotional support via phone, email, and letter. Comparable as a non-clinical, donation-funded emotional support provider, though focused on crisis listening rather than ongoing counselling.
• BetterHelp: Large-scale online counselling platform connecting users to licensed therapists via video, chat, and phone. Comparable on webcam and chat counselling channels but operates commercially rather than as a community non-profit.

Direct peers

• Anxiety UK: UK charity offering support services for people living with anxiety, depression, and related conditions. Comparable in mission and community-based delivery model, with similar donation and membership revenue streams.
• Relate: UK charity providing relationship and couples counselling, education and training. Closely comparable to EWG on the couples counselling product, charity/non-profit structure, and reliance on donations/grants, but at a national scale.
• Kooth: Digital mental health platform for children and young people offering anonymous chat, counselling, and self-help resources. Comparable to EWG on multi-channel online delivery and youth focus, but at national/commissioned scale.
• Togetherall: Online mental health service providing anonymous peer support, self-help resources, and moderated community access. Comparable to EWG's free live chat and online support hub, often commissioned by universities and employers.
• Place2Be: UK children's mental health charity delivering counselling in schools and communities. Directly comparable to EWG's 13–17 young peoples counselling and community-based mental health model.

Emerging players

• Shout: UK-based 24/7 text messaging mental health support service. Comparable to EWG's free live chat drop-in offering in delivery mechanism and accessibility focus, but operates nationally as a crisis textline.

Others

• Cedars Therapy Institute: Trusted partner training organisation offering accredited counselling courses referenced in EWG's partnerships. Adjacent as a counsellor training pipeline rather than a service competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/EWGCounselling
• Xtwitter.com/EWGCounselling
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emotional-wellbeing-group-ltd

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Emotional Wellbeing Group