URBAN Therapy Ltd is a growing social enterprise - a not for profit organisation that offers Counselling and training to all.

They have been lucky enough to secure funding through the Area planning group and the Scottish Government to deliver an all-male Counselling training programme starting this month.

After recruiting nine female Counsellors and only one male, Rachael Crozier, one of the co-founders of the Crosshill Centre based Urban Therapy Ltd, realised that the organisation urgently needed more male Counselling therapists!

She said, “Often people would prefer to see a male Counsellor and more and more men are seeking Counselling support for their problems and will not be able to see a male Counsellor when they come. We need men urgently and the work in this field continues to grow.” Rachael added, “We were delighted when Cowdenbeath Area Services manager, Kevin Sayer, approached us to push this project further and now that we have secured the funds we have been able to employ a new Counselling Trainer full-time to help us teach it! Steven Coote, from Buckhaven, was successful in getting the new post and he is the perfect candidate.” Steven (pictured) told us, “From my background, I am able to connect with people on a street level, having lived and breathed Fife.

“I did not enjoy school, and left with a few standard grades and followed my family tradition of motor mechanics. Having experienced the loss of loved ones and close friends due to alcohol and substance misuse, I wanted to give something back to the community.

“I started with an introduction to counselling whilst working full-time in the motor trade. Then with natural progression I completed the intermediate and followed it up with the HNC in Counselling. I volunteered with the Drug and Alcohol project Limited and have worked with them for ten years.

“To become a Counsellor I had to get a Counselling Diploma which I did part-time whilst continuing to hold down my job working 46 hours a week. When Urban Therapy set up this training, it was as if I was made for the job. “With my experience and knowledge it is feasible for a working class man to achieve such a credit. Now that I am a teacher, I have come from the complete opposite - the student became the teacher!” Steven went on to say that there are still places on the male training course, “You start by coming in for a chat and a cuppa, and then decide whether you want to come during the day or at night. The introduction to Counselling Skills award (like all of our training) is fully accredited and you only commit to one block at a time. We meet for three hours a week and there will be homework but no exam at this stage.

“Students are free to complete a block and move on if they wish, or, there is the opportunity to complete all four blocks and become a fully qualified Counsellor!

“The most incredible thing about this training is that it is completely FREE! The full programme would take a few years and would cost around £8000. However, you can start at the bottom and work your way up! All we ask is that you are interested enough to commit to 13 weeks and then you can decide if you would like to do more.

“We have recruited 20 men in total and they come from every imaginable walk of life, age, and background and have one thing in common- they want to learn more about Counselling. Previous students tell us they are glad they learned how to listen properly and not just ‘hear’.

“They say their relationships with everyone have improved and they have found the subject and the group fascinating. This will not be like school! This is adult learning and you will be treated with respect and as an individual – this could be a completely new direction and it is there for the taking! We hope to be able to employ as many of the best students here at Urban Therapy, but we know that a lot of these Counsellors will want to specialise in certain areas or set up in private practice. This is an industry that continues to grow and develop and the rewards are both personal and financial”.

Anyone that is interested can find out more by picking up the phone and asking for Stevie on 01592 869994 or emailing yourcounsellingtraining@gmail.com or visiting our www.facebook.com/urbantherapyltd or our website www.urbantherapyltd.co.uk or twitter #urban therapy ltd