October Listening Post

“Listening Post is a professional voluntary counselling service, Christian in foundation, formed twenty years ago to relieve emotional and psychological distress in Christians and non-Christians alike. We are an organisational member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy and work within their Ethical Framework. We provide counselling for anyone over 18, regardless of financial status, gender, religion, sexual orientation, race, colour or ethnic origin.


We serve any resident in this county, including those who might otherwise be financially prevented from accessing professional counselling support. Private counselling can cost up to £50 an hour – a cost that many people desperately in need cannot afford. Unlike private practitioners there is no set fee for our services. All we ask is that, based upon individual means, our clients make a donation per session.

If, as a client, you draw support from Christianity or any faith and want that to play a part in your counselling we work within the context of your faith. If you wish to work without reference to any religious beliefs, you are equally welcome. A Listening Post counsellor’s professional concern is to gain an understanding of how you see yourself and of what distresses you, and then work with you to determine how you can best be supported.

We have three counselling centres in Gloucestershire, and you are welcome to contact any of our centres about counselling; other enquiries are best made to our main office in Gloucester.”

Cheltenham: 01242 256060 Stroud: 02453 750123 Gloucester: 01452 383820

As with so many of the charities we support, Listening Post is struggling with both the increases in their costs and the volume of clients needing their help. They are very grateful for any help we can give them.

I was struck by the “Thought for the Month” on their website in September, when I was writing this piece, and would like to share it with you.

Mary Michael

“Often our call in life grows out of the compassion that we have built up because of our own woundedness. In that sense we can begin to see our woundedness as a gift rather than a failure; it is out of our woundedness and our personal limitations that our healing gifts will come; healing, praying, loving, all go hand in hand. Healing is loving; when we heal, we love; when we love, we heal. Sometimes in our life we can try to solve a problem, and there is a time for that, but sometimes just letting ourselves love again and be loved can solve many problems. When we get burned out, it isn’t usually because we are doing too many things, but often because we are not letting ourselves be loved.”

Peter Hoskin - Jesuit priest

and clinical psychologist