At Polbeth Community Hub, we often see the invisible burdens people carry—a family struggling to keep food on the table, a person who has lost a loved one, an older resident feeling isolated and forgotten. In a community where so many face challenges, our free counselling service has become a lifeline, offering a safe, compassionate space for people to heal, find strength, and move forward.

This past year, more people than ever have turned to us.

We've worked with parents who felt counselling would be impossible due to having a baby and no family around to help with childcare. With little money to spare, they feared they'd have to face their mental health struggles alone. Through our person centred service, we were able to remove the barrier of childcare, utilising a staff members skills from years of working in a nursery, to allow this parent to access our service for free. Our client suddenly felt reassured that their baby was in safe hands and they weren't facing challenges alone.

Our service offers a supportive environment for student counsellors to complete their placements, under the watchful and caring eye of our Counselling & Wellbeing Manager. We offer ongoing development opportunities for our students to ensure they have all the tools they need to meet the needs of West Lothian residents. This has included providing bereavement training, art therapy and quarterly wellbeing sessions to ensure they keep on top of their own mental health.

We’re reaching out to you to help us continue this vital work. Every donation makes a difference. Your support will help us ensure that people across West Lothian can find comfort, strength, and a path forward through therapy—no matter their financial situation.

This Christmas, let’s keep the light of hope shining in Polbeth. Please consider giving the gift of healing by donating to Polbeth Community Hub’s free counselling service. Your kindness can make a world of difference.