RS-CH is an independent registered charity affiliated to Relationships Scotland (a network of 21 services with a national office in Edinburgh). The word “charity” sometimes causes confusion. It doesn’t mean that RS-CH can offer a free service: rather, that RS-CH is a non-profit organisation which returns all its income to the services that it provides. It does mean that while all clients are asked to contribute towards the cost of their counselling sessions, we have a sliding scale of donations and no one will be turned away because of inability to pay. RS-CH has all the normal overheads of any business, recently invested heavily in its building to improve facilities, and continuously invests in training to maintain the highest standards of counselling service. Counsellors have in the past been volunteers, but nowadays most offer a mix of paid and unpaid service.
The delivery of counselling sessions costs us about £60 per session. RS-CH has in the past received much valued Government and Council funding of around £23k: this represents less than half its annual costs. RS-CH tries to fill this shortfall through other funding efforts, the hire of rooms within its building, and client contributions. Suggested contributions are guided by your household income and are of crucial importance to our service as most clients also sign our Gift Aid form, their contributions are further enhanced by HMRC by up to 25%.
Donation Guidelines: suggested contributions per session, based on household income.
Below £6,000 = £10
£6,000-£12,000 = £20
£12,000- £20,000 = £30
£20,000-£30,000 = £42
£30,000-£40,000 = £54
£40,000-£50,000 = £68
Over £50,000 = £75+
Donations are capped at £75, but clients on higher incomes are sincerely thanked should they wish to donate more, which is an enormous help towards funding our services. Fees elsewhere locally? £40-£120 ph.
GIFT AID allows UK charities to claim back the basic rate tax already paid on donations by the donor. This means we can claim back from the government on your behalf 25p for every £1 donated, boosting the value of your donation by a quarter. We encourage you to sign our Gift Aid form.
We are always looking for new ways to keep the costs of our sessions down to support as many people as we can and have been able to secure grants to support residents in certain geographical areas in Inverness. If you live in the IV1 or IV3 area of Inverness and are experiencing financial hardship, you’re eligible to receive our counselling services for free.
At the moment we can also offer free relationships counselling for new clients who are under the age of 25.
Please contact the office for further information by emailing appointments@counsellinghighland.org.