Nottingham Counselling Service

What Nottingham Counselling Service does

Nottingham Counselling Service (NCS) is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee (charity No. 1045464) founded in 1977, operating from a single centre at Victoria Court, Kent Street, Nottingham. It provides affordable psychological counselling and psychotherapy to adults aged 16 and over in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, and the wider East Midlands, with a stated mission that no client is excluded for inability to pay. The service portfolio spans individual, couples and group therapy, art therapy, and an Employer Assistance Programme for corporate clients, plus specialised programmes including Healing Pathways for Black, Asian and diverse communities (with Himmah), free therapy for Ukrainian and asylum-seeking refugees, Surviving Abuse Positively (SAP) for abuse survivors, a low-cost men's therapy group, and the MTVH Mind The Gap wellbeing programme.

The underlying delivery model is human-delivered, in-person counselling by DBS-checked, BACP/UKCP-credentialed, professionally supervised practitioners using person-centred, psychodynamic, and integrative modalities. Supporting technology is limited to a self-referral web portal, Stripe-based donation processing, Google Analytics, and standard social media channels; there is no digital therapy platform or app-based delivery.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid of statutory grants (Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, NHS PCTs), charitable trust and BACP programme grants, suggested sliding-scale client donations (£25/£50/£100 tiers), Co-op membership fundraising, and corporate EAP contracts. Go-to-market is community-led: self-referral via the website, outreach partnerships with Himmah and MTVH, radio and social media awareness campaigns, and direct corporate EAP sales. The organisation has 51-100 employees, is governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Dr. Steve Goode CBE, and is led by Chief Executive Shoana Qureshi-Khan (appointed October 2023).

Name

Nottingham Counselling Service

Legal name

Nottingham Counselling Service

Website

https://nottinghamcounsellingcentre.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Nottingham Counselling Service is a registered charity providing affordable, in-person psychological counselling to adults in Nottingham and the East Midlands, with specialist programmes for BAME communities, refugees, abuse survivors, and employers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Counselling Services

NAICS

Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Outpatient Mental Health Clinics & Counseling Centers (HLAFACAA)

Keywords

• Counselling services
• Mental health support
• Psychotherapy programmes
• Employee assistance programme
• Community mental health

Headquarters

HQ city

Nottingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Client donations and contributions: Sliding scale donations from clients; donations of £25 (1 session), £50 (2 sessions), £100 (month's support)
2. Government funding: Funded by Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, NHS (Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT and Nottingham City PCT)
3. Charitable trust funding: Funding from Nottinghamshire Foundation, Boots Charitable Trust, and Nationwide Foundation
4. Co-op membership fundraising: Community fundraising through Co-op membership programme
5. Individual donations: Public donations to support mental health services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Nottingham Counselling Service delivers affordable, BACP-aligned psychological counselling and psychotherapy to adults aged 16+ from its Nottingham city-centre centre, offering one-to-one talking therapy, couples counselling, group therapy, art therapy, workplace EAP contracts, and targeted programmes for BAME communities, refugees (including Ukrainian), men, and abuse survivors. The organisation complements direct delivery through partnerships (Himmah, MTVH) and supports the profession via counselling training placements, CPD courses and room hire.

Product overview

Nottingham Counselling Service (NCS) is a registered charity providing quality affordable counselling services for adults in Nottingham. The organization operates a single-site counselling centre offering multiple therapeutic modalities including person-centred counselling, psychodynamic therapy, and integrative approaches. The core service portfolio includes Individual Counselling (one-to-one talking therapy), Couples Counselling, Group Therapy, and specialized programmes such as the Employer Assistance Programme, Low-cost Men's Therapy Group, Art Therapy, and Therapy for Ukrainian Refugees. NCS also provides targeted support through partnerships including the BAME Counselling Hub (Healing Pathways) with Himmah, and MTVH Mind The Gap wellbeing support. Additional offerings include training placements for counselling students, professional development courses for counsellors, and room hire facilities. Clients can choose between open-ended long-term counselling or time-limited therapy (8-12 weeks). The service operates from Unit 5, Victoria Court, Kent Street, Nottingham.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mind The Gap - MTVH: Wellbeing support programme in partnership with MTVH housing association.
• Healing Pathways
• Surviving Abuse Positively (SAP)
• BAME Counselling Hub

Products and services

• Individual Counselling One-to-one talking therapy for adults (16+) experiencing personal, home or work-life difficulties. Sessions are 50 minutes, held weekly, with the choice of open-ended long-term counselling or time-limited therapy (8–12 weeks).
• Couples Counselling Relationship-focused talking therapy delivered by couples counsellors for couples experiencing relationship difficulties.
• Group Therapy Group-based talking therapy sessions for adult clients, including dedicated groups for asylum seekers and refugees.
• Employer Assistance Programme (EAP) Workplace counselling service addressing stress, anxiety and depression as causes of long-term absence; offered to corporate employers as an employee benefit.
• Low-cost Men's Therapy Group Affordable group therapy specifically for men in Nottingham City Centre, addressing accessibility barriers and stigma around male mental health.
• Art Therapy Therapeutic approach using artistic expression as a form of counselling for adults.
• Therapy for Ukrainian Refugees Free psychological therapy for Ukrainian adults (18+) experiencing difficulties following displacement, loss, trauma or ongoing uncertainty; available in Ukrainian language.
• Surviving Abuse Positively (SAP) Specialist support programme for adults who have experienced childhood trauma or sexual abuse, delivered by counsellors experienced in trauma work.
• Mind The Gap – MTVH Wellbeing Programme Wellbeing support programme delivered in partnership with MTVH housing association, providing counselling services to residents in Nottingham and Enfield locations.
• BAME Counselling Hub (Healing Pathways) Short-term therapy for Black, Asian and diverse communities, offering 10–15 free sessions per client. Delivered in partnership with Himmah and funded by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
• Asylum and Refugee Seeking Group Therapy Free group therapy services for adults who are asylum seekers or refugees, providing a safe therapeutic space to process displacement-related trauma.
• Counselling Training Placements Clinical placements offered to counselling students studying towards diploma, undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications in counselling and psychotherapy.
• Training Courses for Counsellors Professional development and CPD courses for qualified and trainee counsellors, including specialist workshops such as neurodiversity in the therapy room and working with compulsive sexual behaviour in therapy.
• Room Hire Rental of counselling rooms at the Nottingham centre for external qualified professionals to deliver their own therapy and supervision work.
• Volunteer Counsellor Programme Formal programme that enables qualified counsellors to volunteer their skills to support NCS's community service delivery.

Quantifiable outcome

• Clients report improved confidence, better emotional management, and positive life changes including returning to work and improving relationships
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HimmahcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership with Himmah (King's Award-winning charity championing social justice) to deliver therapy and outreach work for racialised communities. Awarded BACP funding to provide 10-15 free sessions for Black, Asian and diverse communities through the Healing Pathways programme.
• MTVH (Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMind The Gap wellbeing support programme providing counselling services to MTVH residents in Nottingham and Enfield locations.
• Co-opminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-op membership fundraising programme where community members can support Nottingham Counselling Service through their Co-op membership purchases.
• University of NottinghamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital marketing collaboration where University of Nottingham Digital Academy students reviewed website and social media, producing recommendations for improvements that have been partially implemented.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Relate: UK's largest provider of relationship support and counselling, including couples and individual therapy, with a similarly mixed grant/donation + fee + EAP revenue model and a network of regional centres.
• Anxiety UK: UK charity delivering therapy, support groups, and helpline services specifically for anxiety — overlaps with NCS's adult counselling portfolio and uses a similar donation + membership funding mix.
• Samaritans: Long-established UK mental health support charity providing listening and emotional support services, funded by donations and grants, with a national footprint analogous to NCS's mission and funding structure.
• Place2Be: UK children's mental health charity providing counselling in schools and communities, with similar charity status, volunteer-supplemented delivery, and partnership-driven outreach model.
• Together for Mental Wellbeing: UK mental health charity providing community-based support and counselling for people with severe and enduring mental health needs — comparable local-service delivery model and charity funding base.
• No Panic: UK charity providing support for people with anxiety, panic, and related conditions through helpline and recovery groups — directly comparable small charity-delivered mental health support service.
• Cruse Bereavement Care: UK-wide bereavement support charity delivering one-to-one and group bereavement counselling through trained volunteers — directly analogous operating model to NCS's volunteer-supported, donation-funded counselling centre.

Broad incumbents

• Rethink Mental Illness: National UK charity supporting people affected by mental illness through services, information, and grants — comparable charity-funding mechanics and service breadth, though with stronger policy and advocacy remit.
• Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust: NHS mental health foundation trust providing outpatient psychological therapies across multiple specialties. Comparable therapy modalities and patient populations, but publicly-funded and much larger institutional scope.
• Mind: UK's leading mental health charity, providing information, local Mind-affiliated counselling services, and advocacy. Overlapping mission and grant-funded model, though much broader in scope than a single counselling centre.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NCSCounselling
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLpLoFtlECkYgkyBMGAiHQA
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Nottingham-Counselling-Service/170041776453363
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3291665
• Instagraminstagram.com/nottinghamcounsellingservice

Compliance7 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 Nottingham Counselling Service