Listening Lounge Re Opens Its Doors For Face To Face Mental Health Support

The Listening Lounge, the provider of free mental health support for adults aged over 18 in Jersey, will be reopening their mental health support facility on Charles Street for face to face appointments from this Wednesday 10 June.

The counselling and peer support provider closed the doors of its St Helier drop-in facility at the end of March in response to Covid 19 and social distancing restrictions, moving all of their mental health support services online. 

The Listening Lounge maintained their services online during lockdown with islanders able to contact them between 10am and 10pm, 7 days a week, with appointments delivered by the counselling team with via phone or online. A dedicated phone service, ‘the Listening Line’, was also introduced. Throughout April and May, the Listening Lounge received nearly 400 calls, 61 new counselling referrals and provided 446 counselling sessions to people experiencing a wide range of difficulties relating to their mental wellbeing. 

Lucy Nicolaou, Head of the Listening Lounge, said: “The outbreak of Covid 19 has impacted people in varying ways. Understandably, it has been an unfamiliar, challenging, and worrying time for many people. As we start to exit lockdown and people once again experience other pressures such as returning to school and work, we know this may prove particularly difficult and lead to an increase in stress, anxiety and have other implications on our mental health and wellbeing. We are so pleased that we are now able to extend our mental health support for islanders further by welcoming people back into our facility on Charles Street by appointment. We understand how important and reassuring it can be to meet and connect with someone face to face. As we enter a ‘new normal’ way of life, we encourage anyone who is struggling to not struggle alone and to reach out and talk to us. We are here for you.”  

In order to allow appropriate social distancing measures, as outlined by the latest Jersey Government advice, the Listening Lounge has introduced appropriate measures to allow for social distancing within the building and to ensure the space remains safe for their team of counsellors and peer workers, and visitors; including a one-way entrance and exit system, sanitisation stations, staggered appointment times pre-booked in advance to avoid overcrowding and the use of additional office space. 

Other mental health services on offer by the Listening Lounge to Islanders include: 

• Access to counselling on a self-referral basis with appointments offered online, by phone or face to face. Appointments are available throughout the day and evening, every day of the week. Referrals can be made by completing a short online form found here:
  https://listeninglounge.counsel360.co.uk/Referral/create
  Or the counselling team can be contacted directly for more information at counselling@listeninglounge.care 
• Ability to schedule an appointment with a peer worker to talk informally with someone who has their own lived experience of poor mental health and recovery, in a face to face setting. Appointments are available throughout the day and evening, every day of the week. Appointments can be booked up to 72 hours in advance either by phone or email: 01534 866793/peer@listeninglounge.care
• The Listening Line will remain open for those unable to visit us in person or those who may prefer to access support by phone. However, it may be necessary to leave a message and a member of the team will return each call as soon as possible.