Bedfordshire Open Door offers a welcoming environment where young people will be safe, be heard and be accepted. We have our own dedicated counselling centre in Bedford town and welcome young people aged 13 to 25 from Bedford Borough and North Central Bedfordshire. We also work in a number of secondary schools and community venues to widen access to our service. Our qualified and experienced team of counsellors and therapists provide up to 12 sessions of free, confidential one to one counselling. Alongside the counselling we also run small therapeutic group sessions and a weekly social group.

Young people are at the heart of everything we do - their futures are our priority!

Life can be tough, and we believe in being there to develop trusted relationships where young people can feel safe enough to express their feelings and concerns. Every day young people inspire us with their determination to face the challenges in their lives and to move forward with increased self-confidence.

Young people can self-refer and access our service directly, and will always receive a friendly welcome. We empower young people to be their authentic, individual selves and support them in developing the tools and inner strength to reach their full potential in life. Our aim is to support the mental health and wellbeing of young people in our community and to enable them to feel heard and valued.

Why the community needs us

We provide a unique local service offering free accessible counselling for young people. No-one one else does it quite like Bedfordshire Open Door! We have a solid reputation with local young people, their families and other professionals and services in our community, including those in recovery from trauma, abuse & exploitation. Last year we supported over 1000 young people.