Who we are

CHANGES promote positive wellbeing in East Lothian by offering a wide range of free courses, groups, therapies and activities as well as one-to-one CBT and counselling.  Our base is in Musselburgh, though our support covers East Lothian with courses coming up in Dunbar, Haddington and Tranent. As a result of COVID-19 and the temporary closure of face to face support, we are now offering telephone and video based counselling. We expect demand for counselling to rise due to COVID-19 and we need to be ready to support people when they need it most.

People come to us with issues such as stress, anxiety, panic, depression, worry, low mood, low self-esteem and negative thinking.

It is estimated that more than one in three people are affected by a mental health problem each year. The most common illnesses are depression and anxiety. The need for support services like CHANGES is high, and increasing each year.

What we are trying to do

In the past year alone we have supported over 800 people, with around 100 attending one-to-one counselling. Our current waiting time for counselling is up to 1 year, with almost 150 people waiting.

We receive funding from East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership; however we have seen an increase in referrals over recent years and are struggling to keep up with this growing demand.

We are crowdfunding for £1200 which would pay for 10 people to receive an 8 week block of counselling with a trainee therapist. 10 lives changed!

CHANGES is committed to supporting the learning and development of trainee therapists. By hosting trainees from education providers across Scotland CHANGES offers opportunities for trainees to gain invaluable experience supporting clients, whilst at the same time trainees help us see more people more quickly.

Why is it important?

The number of suicides in Scotland increased by 15% between 2017 and 2018, with 784 probable suicides. These devasting figures show the need for mental health interventions such as the support offered by CHANGES. It is estimated that more than 1 in 3 people are affected by a mental health problem each year. The most common illnesses are depression and anxiety. The good news is that people accessing support for their mental health report feeling less stigma.  This positive change in attitudes towards mental health mean even more people are now seeking support.

Call to action

We are crowdfunding for £1200 which would pay for  10 people to receive an 8-week block of counselling. The more we raise, the more lives changed!

We ask you to take the time to talk about mental health with family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. Click here for some useful tips on talking about mental health.

Please consider contributing to our project and share our page with a friend.

Thanks for reading,

CHANGES team x