Meet lovely Allie - she's big on TikTok and loves our affordable counselling service

'Having this outlet is helping me,' Allie says.

We made a wonderful new friend recently and we'd like to introduce her to you.

She's called Allie McCullough and she's just told tens of thousands of her TikTok friends about an aspect of our work of which we're extremely proud - our counselling service.

Allie posts regularly to more than 31,000 followers about health and well-being, living with sight-loss and lots of other topics. Take a look at her channel, The Allie Way, here.

A couple of weeks ago, the 38-year-old Californian who now lives in Northern Ireland, posted a short video in which she praised us to the skies - and we could not have been more proud when we saw it.

Allie, who lost her sight aged three, approached us for help a few couple of months ago after her time-limited NHS counselling came to an end without really helping her make much progress.

Happily, a friend who knew about the New Futures Project told her about our counselling service. Four sessions in, and Allie feels she is making real progress at last.

She told us: "I struggle with anxiety. It's been there throughout my adult life and even further back.

"I had six NHS counselling sessions a couple of years ago. It wasn't long enough and I didn't really get anywhere. I could self-refer again, but it's such a long waiting list for the NHS.

"I wasn't sure what to expect, but you got back to me very quickly and, I think it was the next day, you did my assessment 

"Now, I speak to my counsellor once a week. It's open-ended so it will continue for as long as it needs to.

"I have had four sessions so far. In this age of instant gratification I guess you just want everything to be fixed, for everything to be okay, straight away.

"It's been an emotional experience. It is hard work but I feel better now than I did at that first session.

"I'm sticking with it. Having this outlet is helping me."

READ MORE: 'Counselling should be accessible to anyone who needs it' - talk to us if you're struggling

READ MORE: Our CPCAB-accredited counselling course has begun - but we have room for more students

Allie and Neil.

Her concern that we are failing as a society to address the national mental health crisis is a common theme of Allie's posts.

She addresses similar issues on another TikTok account - Your Open Circle, which will find here - which she shares with her husband, Neil, who is also blind.

"I don't know if it will happen in my lifetime, but I hope mental health checks become as normal as any physical health check-up," she tells us.

We pride ourselves on making our counselling available as accessible as possible.

Clients who live locally can visit us at our home in London Road - just across the road from Leicester railway station - while those who cannot make it into the city can log-in from wherever they are.

Crucially, we are determined to make sure our fees suit just about every budget.

If you are uncertain about the cost, please speak to us and we will explain how we structure things.

Our services are provided by qualified counsellors and those in training, working closely with both the CPCAB and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, (BACP), to ensure all counselling we provide is ethical and fit for purpose.

Our director Della Kagure Brown said: "Lots of people recognise counselling may improve their lives but are worried about the cost.

"We believe counselling should be accessible to anyone who needs it and we’ve found a way to make it affordable for just about everyone.

"So, please contact us and let’s talk."

 The New Futures Project offers a comprehensive welfare and counselling service for women and young people dealing with sexual abuse or exploitation, domestic violence, trafficking, poverty and debt, substance use or mental ill-health.

Call us on 0116 251 0803 or send us a message at: info@new-futures.org.uk

You can find us at 71 London Road, Leicester, LE2 0PE.