Brighton & Hove City Council plans school-based counselling pilot

Councillor Emma Hogan said the service could shorten waiting times for those needing crisis support

Counselling services could be rolled out across schools in Brighton & Hove amid long waiting lists for mental health services.

The council has set aside £200,000 in its draft budget to fund a pilot, with councillors saying the scheme could "relieve" pressure on the NHS.

A petition from a community action network has gained more than 2,000 signatures in support of the plan.

The proposals were outlined at a council meeting last week.

Two students from Brighton, Hove & Sussex Sixth Form College presented the petition on behalf of Brighton and Hove Citizens.

The community group previously persuaded the Labour-run council to become the first in the country to declare a mental health emergency in December 2022.

"We have heard the commitment to face challenges head on and to ensure that no-one is left behind in the shadows of mental health struggles," one of the students said.

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"We're not here to dwell on words alone. Today is a key date in our city's history. The draft budget demonstrates you have heard us and have acted on our call to action."

The petitioners said that six counselling sessions cost about £450 but a referral to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) was £3,000.

Analysis of NHS data published by the Royal College of Psychiatrists this week showed the number of children referred to CAMHS crisis teams had soared by 53% in four years.

Labour councillor Andrei Czolak said: "Labour intends to make sure mental health support is available in our schools.

"We made this a manifesto commitment and hope that will address the imbalance between students whose families can afford to pay for private counselling and those who cannot."

Conservative councillor Emma Hogan, an NHS psychiatrist, said the cost of counselling within schools and colleges could be "far cheaper" than the amount being spent on NHS services.

The petition has been referred to the council's Strategy, Finance and City Regeneration Committee which is due to meet on Thursday.

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