Links Counselling Service

We are so grateful for the generous £500 donation from the County Antrim Harriers . This donation will go into supporting our Children & Adult Counselling service in Ballyclare.

The County Antrim Harriers are pleased to donate £500 to Links Counselling Service from funds raised through the Mayfair races.

We are pleased to be offering a Walk-In Counselling Service at our Lisburn site (45 Moira Road) from Monday 4th November. This drop-in service will be available every Monday 9am-1pm for adults and young people aged 16+.

The Walk-In service continues at our Lurgan site (23a Castle Lane), also every Monday morning.

You can avail of one single session that lasts for one hour, tailored to you and focused on your goals, with a strong problem-solving element to an array of issues.

You can pre-book a slot at either our Lurgan site (02838 342825) or Lisburn site (02895 211441), and be seen within a week or two, or simply turn up and wait to be seen.

📢 Free 6-Week Grief Programme 📢

We're offering a free 6-week group programme to help those dealing with grief. Join us for support and guidance from trained counsellors from Links Counselling Service

🗓 Fridays, 3:30 - 5:30 pm
📅 Starting 25th October
📍 Lisburn Downtown Centre

Don't go through it alone – get in touch to secure your place. 🤝

02892672052 / [email protected]

10/10/24 World Mental Health Day 🫶

"Be dedicated to change the way in which people see mental illness at all levels of society. If not for yourself, advocate for those who are struggling in silence.”

Please reach out and talk 🗣️

Big thank you to Laurelhill Community College for inviting us to their first Health and Wellbeing Fayre. Over 30 organisations represented, lots of engagement from nearly 1000 pupils and we were well fed and looked after too! Thank you to all involved.

This special lady attended our Finding Hope in Grief course in Cookstown, run by Chloe and Rebecca earlier in the year. She found it so helpful for her and where she was in her journey with grief that she decided to run the Belfast Half Marathon! She raised an incredible £1400!!

Thank you so much Jolene Nellins!! This money will go into supporting our adult and children community counselling service in our local Mid Ulster area and make such a difference!

We are delighted to be offering a 6 week programme over Zoom aimed at encouraging, equipping and empowering parents and families.

This programme is not just another parenting programme, but rather a group that will meet for 6 weeks with the aim to encourage and support individuals on their parenting journey, regardless of their family structure. The group is facilitated by 2 children's & young people's therapists.

Some of the topics explored are:

Week 1: Your parenting journey
Week 2: Understanding feelings and what is really going on
Week 3: Your foundations and what we each bring to the table
Week 4: The role of play for both adult and child
Week 5: What your family mould looks like
Week 6: Helping your child handle big feelings

If you would like to register, please contact us on 02838 342825 or complete a referral form here: www.linkscounselling.com/get-counselling

Traumatic experiences can shatter our sense of safety, leave us with lots of painful and often confusing feelings, and continue to impact our daily lives long after the events are over.

In this programme you will learn more about how your trauma has impacted you and recognise when you are triggered in everyday life. You will leave each week with practical skills you can use to help you feel more grounded in the present and regain a sense of safety and hope for the future. The focus will be on helping you to improve your daily life so you will not be asked to share any details about the trauma(s) you experienced or revisit any painful memories.

Some topics we will cover are:

Wk1: Understanding the impact of trauma
Wk2: Coping with flashbacks, intrusive memories and being ‘triggered’
Wk3: Getting better sleep and reducing nightmares
Wk 4: Skills to reduce self-criticism, improve mood and build self-esteem
Wk5: Anxiety-management and relaxation skills
Wk6: How past trauma can impact relationships and skills to improve this
Wk7: Setting healthy boundaries
Wk8: Self-care and continuing your journey of recovery

If you would like to register for either course (Ballymena or Cookstown) please contact us on 02838 342825 or complete a referral form here: www.linkscounselling.com/get-counselling

Still some places left on our Lurgan Rebound group starting this week!

-build resilience
- overcome adversity
- learn new coping skills
- make connections

To register your interest call us on 02838342825
Or email [email protected]

There still a few spaces left on our courses starting this week. Give us a ring on 02838 342825 or complete our referral form at www.linkscounselling.com/get-counselling We would love to support you in whatever you are journeying with.

Our Health and Wellbeing Team, in collaboration with Community Advice and Antrim and Newtownabbey PCSP, will be hosting a series of Warm and Well events throughout the Borough this September.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲-𝗼𝗻-𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀:
✅ Benefit advice
🔋 Energy efficiency in the home and energy efficiency grants
🔒 Home security and crime reduction
🏡 Home safety
⚠️ Accident prevention.

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝘁:
📍 Mossley Pavilion - Wed 11 Sept - 10am – 12
📍 Ballyclare Town Hall - Thurs 12 Sept - 10-12
📍 Tesco Northcott - Fri 13 Sept - 10 – 12
📍 Abbeycentre - Wed 18 Sept - 2 – 4
📍 Asda Antrim - Fri 20 Sept - 10 – 12
📍 Randalstown Library - Wed 25 Sept - 2-4
📍 Tesco Crumlin - Fri 27 Sept - 10 -12

Tag a friend and we would love to see you there.

We’re delighted to be hosting the Redeeming Our Communities Project Can Do programme starting on Monday 30th September at 10.00 am in St John’s Church Halls, Doagh Road, Ballyclare. Please get in touch if you would like to join us or would like more information using the contact details below or contact Frances on 07834 544802.
Love Ballyclare
Antrim Now
Rashee Erskine Area Community Hub
Grange Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership
Ollardale Community Group
Your Ballyclare

"Parenting is one of the hardest jobs in life!" Perhaps you can relate to this well known quote and understand the real struggle of raising children today.

We are pleased to offer you some support on your parenting journey through our Supporting Parents, Holding Families 6 week programme, delivered via Zoom.

The course will offer you space to reflect on your parenting journey alongside other parents and carers, as well as knowledge and understanding about the difficult emotions you and your children (young and old) may be experiencing.

Our aim is that you will leave the course feeling empowered and equipped with new tools and techniques to help you continue leading and supporting your family.

If you would like more information, or to register a place, please contact us on 02838 342825. Alternatively you can complete a referral form here: www.linkscounselling.com/get-counselling

We are delighted to be offering our in-person 8 week educational programme on Trauma Recovery across several of our sites.

Traumatic experiences can shatter our sense of safety, leave us with lots of painful and often confusing feelings, and continue to impact our daily lives long after the events are over.

This course aims to give you practical skills you can use to help you feel more grounded in the present and regain a sense of safety and hope for the future. The focus will be on helping you to improve your daily life so you will not be asked to share any details about the trauma(s) you experienced or revisit any painful memories.

Some topics we will cover are:

Understanding the impact of trauma
Coping with flashbacks, intrusive memories and being ‘triggered’
Getting better sleep and reducing nightmares
Skills to reduce self-criticism, improve mood and build self-esteem
Anxiety-management and relaxation skills
How past trauma can impact relationships and skills to improve this
Setting healthy boundaries
Self-care and continuing your journey of recovery

If you would like more information, or to register for the course, please contact us on 02838 342825. Alternatively, you can complete a referral form here: www.linkscounselling.com/get-counselling

If you have been bereaved or are experiencing loss and grief, then you know the struggle is real. We would like to offer you some support as you journey through your grief experience, by way of our 6 week Finding Hope in Grief course.

The course is being delivered in-person across several of our sites, and aims to help you understand your individual experience of grief and provide you with tools to draw on from your own strengths.

Some of the topics covered are:
Your Story Matters
What is Normal Anymore
Adjusting and Adapting to a New Normal
The Past, Present and Future - Living with the Here and Now
Rebuilding my Broken World
Next Steps

If you would like more information or to register for the course, please contact us on 02838 342825. Alternatively, you can complete a referral form here: www.linkscounselling.com/get-counselling

Odyssey Parenting your teen programme

Tuesday 1st October, 7-9pm x 8 weeks via zoom

Call 0808 8010 722 to register

The Su***de Prevention Development Officers in the Northern Locality are hosting a ‘Bereavement by Su***de’ talk.

This talk will examine:
- The complicated grief process
- The myths about grief
- The stages and symptoms of grief
- The role of family and friends
- Managing the difficult milestones

Date: Tuesday 10th September
Venue: Rover Coffee House, Randalstown
Time: 6.30-8.30pm

*Drop-in option 5:30-6:30pm: Come along and meet the staff behind NHSCT Bereaved by Su***de Support Service and Children & Young Peoples Bereavement by Su***de Support service offered by Barnardo’s.

To register contact: Laura McCaughey, [email protected], 028 9447 8645

OR use event link within the comments

For anyone in the Mid Ulster area..

We are taking expression of interest for 6 weeks FREE Living life to the full course

Contact us on 028 79 301601 or email us at [email protected]

Are you part of a charity within the Armagh Banbridge Craigavon ? If so, come be part of our C&V panel. We’d love to have your voice involved, helping to strengthen the C&V sector. Click on link for more info.

Be Part of ABC Community and Voluntary Sector Panel! 📣
ABC Community Planning Partnership are seeking expressions of interest from local Community, Voluntary and Social Enterprise Organisations to join the Community and Voluntary Sector Panel.
The panel gives the Community and Voluntary Sector a voice so they are actively involved in Community Planning across the borough.
Register your interest 👉 https://bit.ly/45qdKKH
Closing date for Expressions of Interest 30th June.

We had the privilege to be part of Rashee Erskine Area Community Hub Community Conversations last night and it is truly amazing to hear the hopes & dreams they hold .
We look forward to further conversations and deepen relationships.