Gratis Counselling, Psychotherapy & Psychology Services

A Free or Low Cost Support.

Welcome: To our free or low-cost confidential support. We are chartered clinical psychologists and trained/ accredited psychotherapists and counsellors coordinated by Dr Benaliligha Francis Selemo (clinical psychologist). We believe in the recovery model that people can heal and move away from or cope with emotional difficulties within themselves, in their relationships or at work. We use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), brief psychodynamic counselling, integrative counselling and other specific treatment approaches, drawing and adjusting on different approaches. The therapists will explain each of our interventions and/or provide you with leaflets. Our interventions also include:

humanistic person-centred counselling, mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MCBT), brief solution focused intervention.

dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT), narrative therapy, couples/families therapy, motivational intervention (MI), social behaviour network therapy.

international treatment effectiveness project (ITEP), contingency management

community reinforcement approach, psycho-education.

We have over fifty combined years of experiences in psychological treatment for
individuals, couples and families; consultation, training and teaching in health and social care
settings, including in the UK national health service (NHS) and overseas.

We are here to listen and support you:

Sometimes we experience emotional difficulties within ourselves, in our relationships or at work. We may not understand why the difficulties or from where except that life isn’t enjoyable as before. And even if we understood what and where the difficulties are from, we may still be stuck in repetitive destructive patterns that prevent us from being at peace with ourselves or with others. At Gratis, we aim to listen with respect, warmth, empathy, non-judgemental acceptance, openness, honesty and offer safe confidential environment.

Your Recovery Journey:

Our focus is your recovery journey into a new life story. We will support you to briefly explore your old and current distress or difficult life story to include:

  • what happened/root causes;
  • what is going on for you, in you, around you; your thoughts, feelings, behaviours and coping strategies.

We will support you to develop a new coping or positive story to include what you want to go on for you, your strengths, skills and current and future goals/dreams. We will focus more on solutions, empowering you with self-help skills, resources and a professional therapeutic relationship to move you away from the old story or difficulty and forward on to a more enjoyable, fulfilling or coping life. We work with you only for a fixed agreed short or longer term period (not open ended).

Your recovery plan:

The initial session is for you and your therapist to develop an overview
of your support needs and both of you then decide if our interventions could be helpful to
you. A care or recovery plan is then agreed, outlining what you expect to be recovery for
you, the psychological support interventions (s) to be employed by the therapist, the number
of regular appointments /sessions, take home practice exercises to improve your selfawareness, self-empowerment and skills and how we will regularly review and evaluate the
sessions with you to monitor successful recovery. And if your needs were not met with a
given intervention, we will recommend a change of intervention or onward referral to a more
suitable service.

Services

Brief and short-term up to six sessions counseling and psychological support to individuals, couples and families/carers.

Professional consultations and information, assessments, treatment, preventive selfmanagement resources and referrals or signposting to other agencies

For whom? People presenting with mild to moderate and complex emotional, behavioural and social health difficulties or a search for self-discovery issues. He/she lives in the United Kingdom or anywhere in the world and has access to a telephone, internet, and mail communication or is able to physically meet a psychologist/psychotherapist at our London venue or at a jointly agreed support venue.

General issues/Difficulties.

  • Feeling low, hopeless, depressed or anxious (depression, anxiety, phobias, panic
    attacks), low self-esteem/self-confidence, non-assertiveness.
  • Adult and childhood sexual, physical, verbal, or emotional abuse/bullying trauma.
  • Suicidal, self- harm, abandonment, re-occurring destructive patterns.
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bereavement, loss, pre/post abortion
    crisis/trauma, HIV/AIDs trauma.
  • Domestic violence, interpersonal conflict, aggression, anger.
  • Alcohol, drugs and other addictions; personality disorders, schizophrenia with trauma
    history, forensic/criminal behaviour.
  • Eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), sexuality and gender identity
    issues.
  • Stress, boredom, lack of motivation, disempowerment. Feeling/Experiencing
    tearfulness, emptiness, fearfulness, loneliness, numbness, isolation or life without
    meaning/goals.
  • Relational issues: Marital/couple; interpersonal; family; parent-child. Child and
    adolescents related issues.
  • Challenging: parents, gifted/exceptional or difficult children or young people.
  • Challenging behaviours in: elderly people and people with a learning disability.
  • A search for self-discovery: Who am I and who are you? Personality assessment for
    self and others’ personality awareness.
  • Self identity conflict, trust issues, difficult life decisions/ choices. Goal setting and
    decisions making needs, time management or life/activities planning needs. Selfmotivation and empowerment needs, memory improvement and study/exam skills
    needs.
  • Employment, back to work and career counselling needs, problem solving and life
    skills needs (e.g. CV writing & budgeting/cost saving skills).

Specialist interests issues/Difficulties.

  • Work stress and work related issues.
  • Post trauma personality transformation in children and adults.
  • Post war/disaster and humanitarian trauma. Grief, fear, terminal illnesses, death, dying
    or end of life issues. Social, financial and psychological stress/trauma of abortion
    decisions.
  • Faith healing and psychology interface emotional health issues. Christian faith-based
    emotional health issues. Islamic faith-based emotional health issues.
  • Mental Health Issues in African communities: Afro-Cultural (African) emotional health
    issues. Cross-cultural emotional health issues. Culture, faith and science interface
    emotional health issues

Fees

Jobless and homeless people will access the service free while people on very low income will access the services with low fees (e.g. standard fee for specialist cognitive therapy by private providers is £90-100). We will charge £25-45 sliding contribution fee for low income earners.

Free registration for professionals

Counsellors and psychological therapists are invited to register with our ‘Health BJ-UK Therapy Directory’. You will have appropriate qualifications and experience and also available to offer free, low fee and/or discount services in your field of expertise.

Restrictions

A person seeking support from Gratis-Christi Trust will only be linked to a professional, who is not legally required by employment, local or national contractual agreements to provide him/her a free healthcare.

Availability and dates

Weekends, weekdays, face-to-face, remote (email, Online chat room, phone or mail service) options subject to joint prior agreement and availability of professionals and treatment slots/spaces.

Clinical governance

Counsellors and psychological therapists are invited to register with our ‘Health BJ-UK Therapy Directory’. You will have appropriate qualifications and experience and also available to offer free, low fee and/or discount services in your field of expertise.

Coordinating Therapist

Dr. Benaliligha Francis Selemo, is a chartered psychologist, clinical psychologist and accredited cognitive behavioural therapist, He has over 28 years experience in assessments and treatments in the mental health field

For Enquiries & Correspondence Only: Gratis-Christi Trust, Davenport House,16 Pepper
Street, Canary Wharf, London E14 9RP, United Kingdom. Tel:0333 800 3006, 0333 789
001244. Skype: healthcity3. Email: info@healthcity.org.uk. Web: www.gratis-christitrust.com. UK office visits by appointment only.

For Face to Face sessions only:

  •  London venue: 23 Magdalen Street, London SE1 2EN, United Kingdom.
  •  16 Pepper Street, Canary Wharf, London E14 9RP, United Kingdom
  • Non-London venues: To be confirmed, can be Gratis-Christi Trust’s or a service user’s
    chosen, subject to jointly agreed cost and easy accessibility

Be part of a change in the World

An effort made for the happiness of others lifes us above ourselves.