'The calming presence animals can bring' - When Elsie the Dachshund visited New Futures

Counselling tutor Jo and Elsie before class began.

A very special guest visited the New Futures Project the other day - Elsie, a beautiful three-year-old Dachshund.

Elsie came in with a key member of the team here, training manager Trish Maguire, and charmed everyone she met.

However, Elsie also joined counsellor Jo Summers and some of her clients before, at the end of a long day, she sat in on the Level Two Counselling Skills course which Jo teaches here.

Trish said: "Elsie lives on a canal boat and came along with me to meet everyone at the project.

“She was with us for the whole day, mingling with everyone, and met a lot of people while she was with us.

"Everyone said how beautiful and calm she is and asked if she would be coming back again.

“We’ll have to see what happens.”

Jo said: "Having Elsie join us was such a wonderful surprise. There's something really special about the calming presence animals can bring to our space.

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Oh, we were very happy when Elsie dropped in.

"Several of my clients were delighted to meet her during their sessions. For some people, having a gentle companion in the room can help them feel more relaxed and open up more easily.

"The students on the Level Two course absolutely loved having her there, too.

"She sat so patiently throughout the evening - though I have to say, she was the only one who didn't ask for a tea break!"

We are very proud of the counselling training we provide here at the New Futures Project.

Our courses - details of which are here - are externally validated and accredited by the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body, (CPCAB).

Classes take place at our base in London Road - a short walk from Leicester railway station - on the outskirts of the city centre and run over the course of a 30-week term.

Also, we are working with more counsellors than ever and that means we can confidently offer our specialist support to more clients than at any point in our history.

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.

To be sure we can support as many people as we can and irrespective of where they live, our counselling is available face-to-face or online.

Crucially, we are determined to make sure our counselling 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.

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.