National relationships charity launches new Now You’re Talking Therapy counselling service

TLC: Talk, Listen, Change, one of the UK’s leading family support and counselling charities, today announces that their new specialist subsidiary Now You’re Talking Therapy is now open for business for both online and in-person counselling services.

Now You’re Talking has been launched as a profit-for-purpose organisation, meaning the profit generated is donated back into TLC: Talk, Listen, Change to help them to continue their work of championing community wellbeing through services that offer support for domestic abuse, mental health, mediation and separation.

This expansion came as TLC: Talk, Listen, Change secured the first social investment by a credit union, as part of the Enterprising Communities Fund which was announced by Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, in January of this year.

Now You’re Talking, a paid-for counselling service, is now available for individuals and businesses, offering counselling and psychotherapy for both individuals and couples. The service will expand its offering later this year to offer sex therapy and counselling for children and young people (CAYP).

The new venture will offer customers choice, flexibility, and assurance that the support they receive is of the highest quality, delivered by a trustworthy charitable group with more than 40 years of experience in the sector. The operation is entirely profit-for-purpose, with all surplus income donated back to TLC, and ensures that customer-funded and free counselling are housed in separate organisations that can be operated efficiently.

Now You’re Talking will be led by Helen Stuart, who was recently appointed Managing Director, bringing with her a wealth of experience with more than ten years in the social care and voluntary sector in both operational and strategic capacities. Helen has played a crucial role at TLC: Talk, Listen, Change for more than five years as Head of Domestic Abuse for Children and Young People's Services. Helen was appointed when she was eight months pregnant, so Michelle Hill (CEO of TLC: Talk, Listen, Change) will be covering the position until Helen returns from maternity leave.

Michelle is joined by a board with experience spanning decades and includes John Sless, a decorated international consultant who previously served on the board of directors at TLC: Talk, Listen, Change; Carolyn Blunt, a trustee of TLC: Talk, Listen, Change; Caroline Osler a non-executive board member, specialising in creating impactful company strategy, vision and values and Nicholas Williams, who brings a raft of knowledge and a skill set forged with one of the largest financial services organisations in the UK.

Michelle Hill, CEO for TLC, Talk, Listen, Change said: “I could not be more pleased that we can now say Now You’re Talking is open for business. 2024 has been a year where we have hit the ground running and despite the numerous challenges that the charity sector is facing as a whole, with less funding and more people that need our help, we are in the fortunate position where we can widen our service reach and, with the help of some incredibly experienced leaders, continue on our path to sustained growth for the remainder of the year and beyond.

“Our team at TLC does incredible work, and that work is now more in demand than ever before. We are seeing consistent rises in the number of people who need our support which has led us to where we are today. In order to extend the support we offer across the country, we knew we needed to grow the organisation and develop a sustainable revenue stream that could be used to deliver our overall charity vision of supporting people to improve emotional wellbeing and personal resilience through safe, healthy, happy relationships.

“Now You’re Talking has felt like a long time in the making and to see it realised is incredible. We are incredibly excited to finally open our doors and the availability of the service both online and in person means we hope to reach more people than ever before.”

Now You’re Talking Therapy is now open to individuals and corporates for both in-person and online counselling sessions. For more information please go to www.nowyouretalkingtherapy.co.uk