Cambridge Counselling Service

What Cambridge Counselling Service does

Cambridge Counselling Service (trading as Cambridge Counselling Service Ltd, "CCS Ltd") is a private limited company operating Cambridge's largest private counselling and psychotherapy practice, founded in 2009 by Dr Liz Chapman and Mark Gawlinski. It runs a network of 19+ named, professionally registered practitioners (UKCP, BACP, BPS, HCPC, COSRT) supported by associate trainees and a referral network, delivering individual, couples, children and adolescent, anger management, anxiety, and depression counselling from four physical rooms across Cambridge plus online video sessions via Zoom, Facetime, and Skype. The firm also operates clinical supervision, therapeutic and executive coaching, a therapy room hire service, trainee placements, and a Life MOT introductory package.

The business model combines direct-to-consumer self-pay with a B2B Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) channel. Individual sessions are priced on a five-tier sliding scale (£20-£100) by household income, couples sessions at £120, organisational/insurance-funded sessions at £180 (discounted to £100-150 for small organisations), and coaching and supervision priced at £80-£250 depending on funder and format. Named EAP clients include University of Cambridge, AXA UK, Aviva, Anglia Ruskin University, EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute, The Perse School, and Arthur Rank Hospice, spanning education, insurance, pharma, research, healthcare, charity, and telecoms. Distribution is via phone, email, website booking, and GP/NHS referrals, with the practice functioning primarily as a local services business anchored in Cambridge.

Revenue is not publicly disclosed and the company has no external investment, no public listing, and no parent company; ownership and direction sit with the founding directors and advisors. The entity is UK GDPR compliant and ICO-registered (A9085075). Recent strategic emphasis has been on service-line breadth (coaching, supervision, room hire, online delivery) and on operating the next trainee placement intake in 2027, rather than geographic expansion or technology investment.

Name

Cambridge Counselling Service

Legal name

Cambridge Counselling Service Limited

Website

https://cambridgecounsellingservice.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cambridge Counselling Service is a private Cambridge-based counselling practice founded in 2009, offering individual, couples, children, anxiety, depression, anger, online, supervision, coaching and EAP services through a network of registered practitioners across four physical rooms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Counselling and Psychotherapy Services

NAICS

Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330), 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 industry

Couples & Family Therapy Teletherapy Platforms (HLALAEAG)

Keywords

• Counselling services
• Psychotherapy practice
• Employee assistance programmes
• Couples therapy
• Clinical supervision

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Counselling Sessions: Weekly 50-minute counselling sessions for adult individuals, priced on a sliding scale based on household income (£60-£100 per session for standard rates), plus lower-cost Rate 5 sessions at £20 per session with associate/trainee counsellors.
2. Couples Counselling: Couples counselling sessions at £120 per weekly session, with reduced rates of £80 sometimes available for couples with household income under £60k.
3. Employee Assistance Programmes: Organisational counselling funded by employers and insurance companies at £180 per session, including assessment, liaison, and invoicing. Sometimes discounted to £100-150 for small organisations.
4. Coaching Services: Therapeutic coaching, executive coaching, transition coaching, resilience coaching and life coaching at £120 per 50-minute session self-funded, or £180-250 per weekly session when organisation-funded.
5. Supervision Services: Supervision for counsellors at £80 (self-funded) or £180 per session (organisation-funded); supervision for coaches and OD practitioners at £120 (self-funded) or £250 per session (organisation-funded).
6. Room Hire: Therapy room hire to qualified practitioners at £10 per hour during weekdays and £8 per hour on weekends, with a minimum 3-hour weekly commitment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Cambridge Counselling Service provides confidential counselling and psychotherapy to adults, couples, children and adolescents, and organisational clients in Cambridge and online. Sessions are typically 50 minutes, delivered by qualified, accredited practitioners using approaches such as Gestalt, psychodynamic, person-centred, CBT, EMDR and integrative methods. Pricing operates on an income-based sliding scale (£20–£100 per session), supplemented by organisation-funded EAP services invoiced at £180 per session.

Product overview

Cambridge Counselling Service operates as a network of qualified private-practitioner counsellors and psychotherapists in Cambridge, offering a portfolio of distinct but interrelated counselling services. The core offering consists of individual adult counselling, couples counselling, and children and young people counselling, each delivered by professionally registered practitioners (UKCP, BACP, BPS, or HCPC). These are supplemented by specialist services including anger management, depression counselling, and anxiety counselling. Accessibility is supported through a low-cost Rate 5 programme with associate trainees and a sliding-scale income-based fee structure (£20–£100 per session). Remote access is enabled via Online Counselling using Zoom, Facetime, and Skype. Supporting services include Supervision for other practitioners, Room Hire for therapists, Trainee Placements for counselling students, and an Employee Assistance Programme for organisations. A Counsellor Referral Network provides external referrals when needed, and the Life MOT offers a two-session introductory package. Together these form a cohesive private practice — from entry-level and affordable access through to long-term depth work and organisational services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Counselling for Adults One-to-one counselling sessions for adult individuals addressing low mood, depression, anxiety, stress, relationship difficulties, bereavement, and personal development. Sessions are typically 50 minutes, delivered in-person or online, with a sliding-scale fee based on household income.
• Couples Counselling Counselling for adult couples, typically conducted over 4–6 sessions, aimed at unblocking stuck situations, resolving ruptures, or supporting separation or reconciliation. Charged at a flat rate of £120 per session.
• Children and Young People Counselling Specialist counselling for children (from age 4) and adolescents up to age 18, using talking, play, and creative arts to support emotional expression and coping. May involve parental attendance, particularly for children under 12.
• Anger Management Counselling Specialist counselling focused on helping clients identify, understand, and manage anger-related issues, including difficulty expressing anger or feeling out of control. Combines symptom management with exploration of underlying causes.
• Low-Cost Counselling (Rate 5) Discounted counselling sessions at £20 per week for individuals with household income below £30k, provided by associate (trainee) counsellors in person at the Cambridge office. Part of CCS's sliding-scale fee structure to improve accessibility.
• Life MOT A two-session exploratory counselling package designed for individuals wanting to dip into counselling, offering a review of life situation, themes, and options going forward. Conducted in evenings or at a convenient time.
• Online Counselling Remote counselling delivered via Zoom, Facetime, or Skype video conferencing, and by telephone. Available for all counselling types, either exclusively or mixed with in-person sessions.
• Supervision Clinical supervision services for counsellors, psychotherapists, coaches, and organisational development practitioners, provided by experienced CCS therapists including Dr Liz Chapman, Tim Shuker-Yates, Mark Gawlinski, Louise Lowth, and Kathy Sutherland.
• Room Hire Hire of therapy rooms (River Room, Sky Room, Garden Room, Willow Room) to qualified therapists, priced at £10/hour on weekdays and £8/hour on weekends, with a minimum three-hour weekly commitment.
• Trainee Placements

Quantifiable outcome

• Scientific evidence shows that nearly 8 out of 10 individuals who participate in counselling improve more than someone who does not.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Vita Health Group: UK-wide provider of mental health, EAP, and talking-therapy services to the NHS and corporate clients. Directly comparable EAP/IAPT delivery model and similar employer-funded counselling segment.
• Harley Therapy: Private London psychotherapy and counselling practice offering individual, couples, and online therapy with registered practitioners. Closely comparable city-based private practice model with multiple service lines and sliding-scale elements.
• Health Assured: UK Employee Assistance Programme provider offering counselling, wellbeing, and EAP services to corporate clients. Comparable to CCS's organisational counselling and EAP revenue stream.
• Tavistock Relationships: London-based charity providing relationship and couples counselling, training, and clinical services. Directly comparable to CCS's couples work, with a similarly qualified practitioner model and a mix of in-person and online delivery.

Others

• Mind (National Association for Mental Health): UK mental health charity providing information, support, and local affiliate services including low-cost counselling. Comparable as a UK mental health support ecosystem but operates as a charity rather than a paid private practice.

Emerging players

• Place2Be: UK charity providing in-school counselling and mental health support for children and young people. Overlaps with CCS's children and adolescents service line and the school-based EAP customers (e.g., Perse School, CATS School).

Broad incumbents

• Cygnet Health Care: UK private mental health provider operating hospitals and community services for mental health conditions. Comparable at the broad category level but operates at much larger scale and with inpatient focus.
• BetterHelp: Global online therapy platform offering individual, couples, and teen counselling via subscription. Comparable to CCS's online counselling delivery channel and direct competitor for self-pay remote clients.
• Priory Group: UK's largest private mental health provider offering inpatient, outpatient, and day-care services including therapy. Provides broader portfolio and scale than CCS but overlaps in private psychotherapy and EAP delivery.
• Bupa UK Mental Health: UK private health insurer and provider with mental health and therapy services. CCS's practitioner registrations with insurers like Bupa, AXA PPP, Aviva, and Cigna make it a delivery partner alongside Bupa's own services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cambridge-counselling-service

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Cambridge Counselling Service