Award winning online counselling for 11-25 year olds

Research into delivering therapy online has shown that this way of working is as effective as face-to-face therapies. Research into delivering therapy online has shown that this way of working is as effective as face-to-face therapies. Kooth is widely used and highly valued by young people with 82% of users rating the service as either good or excellent. Kooth is an award-winning service that has been established for eight years with many positive customer case studies. It reaches high risk, vulnerable young people who might otherwise find themselves in the care system. In 2009/10, Kooth counsellors helped 337 young people with one or more in-care precursors. The cost of putting this many people into care would be over £8million per annum. Kooth works alongside other services and agencies to provide a truly local, integrated support network.

Kooth operates on a low cost base and the service works out less than other forms of counselling. Did Not Attend (DNA) rates tend to be lower in Kooth areas.
Kooth counsellors work on a mix of booked appointments and drop-in clients which means a greater throughput of clients. Commissioners pay an annual fee for the platform and software licence and then a fee based on the number of counselling hours and training sessions required so it is flexible not rigid. It is possible for two or more local authorities to buy into the service on a joint regional basis offering economies of scale and a lower price.

Kooth operates on several levels, from information and advice to moderated peer support to structured counselling sessions with highly skilled professionals. We can tailor the levels of support to your needs and budgets. Did Not Attend (DNA) rates tend to be lower in Kooth and even when they occur the counsellor’s time is not wasted, as they can join the “drop in” chat support service. Kooth counsellors work on a mix of booked appointments and drop-in clients which means a greater throughput of clients. Commissioners pay for the level of service and features appropriate to their needs and the user population in their area.

Easier for those living in rural areas. Open for business 24 hours a day. Appointment times more flexible and suited to circumstances. Easy to use site and features that remove cultural, attitudinal and geographical barriers often associated with traditional counselling. 89% of users prefer online counselling to face-to-face or telephone support. Free to all users.

Young people who use Kooth see it as cool, credible and trustworthy. They can talk about difficult issues with counsellors and their peer group whilst remaining anonymous. It enables them to maintain a degree of control about what happens next which they particularly like. They can communicate in chat rooms, through message boards,use blogging and access local news and events. Users are encouraged to give their feedback on the site and provide a useful contribution. 82% of users rated the service as good or excellent.

Kooth removes the stigma that many young people associate with mental health counselling because it operates on a totally private basis and offers them anonymous, anytime, free access to a range of counselling and peer group support services. They register anonymously under a username and are not required to provide their true identity or contact details, unless they are considered to be highly vulnerable or at risk. In such cases the counsellor they are in touch with will request this information. All case notes and activities are recorded under the usernames. Counselling sessions take place on the website in secure chat rooms.

The benefits to PCTs and local authorities are that the Kooth website comes as a fully developed, and securely hosted service that can go live within a short lead time of four to eight weeks. Our integration and set-up team works closely with local authority staff and local agencies to set up referral pathways so that when Kooth goes live in your area, we are instantly able to link in with all the important services and start making a difference straight away.

Our counselling team are specially trained to work online with vulnerable young people. They are all professionally qualified and accredited and are clinically supervised by a line manager to deliver evidence-based interventions. Most interventions are brief with around seven sessions including an assessment but longer term therapy is offered where clinically appropriate.