About Us

What we do

We provide an low cost face to face and online counselling service run by trainee counsellors in their fourth and final year of training. We support adults who are either unable to access or cannot afford therapy who live in West Oxfordshire. Our office is based in Woodstock.

The Help Hub is supported by a number of experienced psychotherapists, a multi-skilled Board of Trustees and Ethical Committee, along with a Programme Manager.

Who we help

Our original mission was to provide an urgent response to support people through the outbreak of Covid-19 and address the mental health impact of the pandemic. The Help Hub was formed in early 2020, offering free, immediately accessible online emotional support to UK adults via a network of qualified volunteer Psychotherapists. 

The HelpHub was set up by psychotherapist Ruth Chaloner in April 2020.  Originally Ruth’s intention was to support people who were on a waiting list for NHS mental health support or couldn’t afford private therapy, but when the Covid-19 crisis started she rapidly adapted the service to provide free emotional support for people suffering during the pandemic. Garnering press attention nationally, the service was able to onboard over 800 fully-qualified volunteer therapists (Link to press here: https://www.thehelphub.co.uk/press.html). 

In 2021 we received further funding from West Oxfordshire District Council to pilot an expansion of the service to help young people (ages 11-18) in the area, providing one to one therapy sessions in a local school. 

As the demand for accessible counselling and psychotherapy is greater than ever, we have recognised the need to evolve the service to ensure it is both effective and sustainable, and in late 2022 The Help Hub relaunched offering low cost face to face and online counselling services to adult residents in Oxfordshire.