Counseling and Therapy

When children experience emotional distress, appropriate counseling and therapy can help them overcome their difficulties. We provide two type of services: (1) counselling or therapy offered by our professionals for free or with subsidies, and (2) referrals to other professionals and institutions.

Both of these services require consultation with our advisors with  social worker training and a triage mental health assessment conducted by our specialist to determine:

• Whether the child requires counselling or therapy?
• What type of counselling or therapy is needed?
• Whether it is suitable for us to follow up or refer to other institutions?

If the assessment results indicate a need, the child will be directed to:

1. Our Counselling and Therapy Services

Format

4-8 sessions of counselling or therapy, primarily conducted through online meetings, while in-person sessions will depend on the availability and location of relevant specialists.

Service Providers

Registered clinical psychologists, art therapists, drama therapists, play therapists, and counsellors based in the UK.

Fees

Subject to an eligibility test, clients will receive free or subsidised services as follows:

2. Referral to Third-party Services

In the following situations, our organization will make referrals to the NHS, non-governmental organizations, or private practicing professionals:

• When the child’s condition requires long-term follow-up or medical treatment.
• When the family’s assets exceed the financial threshold set by our mean test.
• When the family resides in an area that does not fall within the government-funded service region.

For cases that require referrals, our organization will provide the following support:

• A referral letter written in English by our specialists
• Follow up by our advisors with social worker training
• The contact list of UK-based clinical psychologists, therapists, and counselors from Hong Kong, all of whom are in private practice

Fully-funded Advisory and Counselling Services for BNO Visa holding families in Greater London

Living in Greater London and wanting to help your children adjust to the new life? Worrying about your child’s emotional health? Looking for SEN support? We are here to help you.

The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities have funded Hong Kong Well UK CIC to provide free advisory and counseling services for children and parents migrated from Hong Kong to the UK under the BNO Visa scheme.

Our services

1. Advisory Services

You will speak to case officers who had social work training from Hong Kong. They will provide the following：

1. Information on local emotional health support services;
2. A step by step guide and tips on how to reach out for help with schools
3. Referral of children to HK Well UK triage assessment service
4. Referral of children to HK Well UK counselling service as recommended by the assessment
5. Contacts of Cantonese speaking therapists and psychologists
6. Information on special education needs (SEN) support in Greater London Area

2. Triage emotional health assessment and counselling

Registered psychologists, therapists and counsellors based either in the UK will provide the following:

1. Triage Assessment: One online session to assess whether the children need counselling or intervention.
2. Counselling Services: A maximum of six sessions of online counselling or therapy for the children. The clients may be referred to other local organisations or further services by HK Well UK upon completion.

Our charge

Who can apply

1. Hong Kong migrants under the BNO Visa scheme
2. Children in need aged above 16 and below 18; or parents of children aged below 18
3. Residents in the Greater London Area:

To confirm whether a residence is within the Greater London Area, an applicant can refer to this postal code map or input the postal code in this website. If no result can be found, the residence is not within the area and the applicant is not eligible to the funded scheme.

Service Duration: Ending 31/3/2024

The application will ask for the following information:

• The area the applicant is living in
• Basic information of the child in need(age, gender and school year)
• What is the concerns shown by the child?
• How has the child’s behaviour or emotions changed since coming to UK?
• How is the child’s relationship with family including those in the UK and Hong Kong?
• How is the child doing in school?
• How’s the child’s relationship with friends in the UK and Hong Kong?
• Has the child or the parent ever sought help from school/family doctor/government doctor/social services?
• What kind of help is the applicant expecting from HK Well UK?
• Is the child of special education needs eg ASD？

For other enquiries, please mail: help@hongkongwell.uk

Hong Kong Well UK Subsidised Counseling Services

Hong Kong Well UK provides donation-funded counselling services to financially disadvantaged families. Since this service is funded by public donations, all applicants of this service will be subject to an asset mean test. Upon the recommendation of our professional team after a triage assessment of their mental health conditions, the child or young adults in need will be provided with the following services.

Service Provider

Registered clinical psychologists, therapists, or counselors located in the UK or Hong Kong.

Format

Counseling or therapy conducted mainly through video conferences. In person services are depending on availability of the specialists.

Number of sessions

4-8 sessions depending on the conditions of the child in need.

Service Fee

Eligibility Criteria

The applicant must satisfy all of the following conditions:

• Child in need not exceeding 18 years old;
• Assessment by professional volunteers from our organization indicates a need for counseling/therapy;
• Pass the family asset mean test;
• The council tax band of the family’s residence falls under categories A, B, C, or D
• The family should own no more than one property worldwide.
• Hongkonger migrated to the UK after 2019

Family Asset Mean Test

The asset thresholds employed in this test is referenced on maximum income thresholds employed by the UK government in its free school meal eligibility assessment for households with no recourse to public funds including those holding BNO visa.

Application Procedure

1. Fill out the advisory service application form
2. Our volunteers with social workers training will contact the applicant to understand their situation and determine whether a referral for the triage assessment service is necessary.
3. If deemed necessary, the applicant needs to fill out the application form for the triage assessment service and provide a referral person (such as a teacher, school nurse, SENCo, educational psychologist, clinical psychologist, doctor, social worker, ordained religious personnel, or clergy). The referral person should fill a referral form.
4. The applicant must also submit the following documents:
   • Signed service agreement for the Triage Assessment service
   • Proof of the age of the child in need
   • Bank statements for the last three months. In the case of single-parent households, only the bank statements of the custodial parent are required (bank statements from online banks like Revolut, Monzo, etc. are not accepted)
   • Proof of Council Tax payment
   • First school enrolment notice issued by UK school to the child in need
5. Children of families that have satisfied the asset mean test will be arranged for assessment. If the assessor finds intervention necessary, he or she will recommend the required number of counseling sessions and the type of professional intervention to Hong Kong Well UK for the final decision. We will assign the appropriate specialists to provide the counseling/therapy.
6. We will discuss the counseling/therapy arrangement with the parents and children in need if aged over 16. . The applicant or the children in need if aged over 16 is required to sign the counseling/therapy service agreement and pay the fees (if any) within 48 hours before each counseling session.

Applicants must ensure the accuracy and truthfulness of the submitted information. False declaration would result in the immediate termination of services and other appropriate actions.

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