Farsophone Counselling Service (FCS) is the service provided by the Farsophone Association. We specialise in offering counselling and psychotherapy in the mother tongue (Persian) for individuals, families, and couples. FCS operates in partnership with NHS Barnet and primarily receives referrals from Barnet and nearby areas. However, we welcome Persian-speaking clients from all over the UK, provided they can attend our centre for in-person sessions.
We offer 12 individual counselling sessions and 10 family/couple therapy sessions free of charge to adults aged 18 and above. Referrals can be made by individuals themselves or by other agencies and professionals, including GPs, social workers, and psychiatrists.
We also offer a variety of workshops, clubs, webinars, and groups each month, including a book reading club, art classes, mindfulness webinars and groups, and more.
Once we receive a referral, we will place the client on our waiting list. Currently, the waiting time for individual therapy is approximately 12-14 months, while for family/couple therapy, it is around 4-6 months. Please note that these wait times may be longer.
Our History
FCS is a service run by Farsophone Association, established in 2006 following a successful pilot by NHS Barnet in 2003. FCS started its services by providing individual mother tongue counselling and psychotherapy to Persian-speaking communities (Iranian, Afghan and Tajik) supporting them with their mental health and emotional well-being. Based on our service development plan and to address the demand of the community, we started our
family/couple therapy service in 2007.
FCS continues to operate from the Information and Advice Centre of the Edgware Community Hospital, in partnership with NHS Barnet. FCS has also continued its initiatives in making new partnerships to address the needs of non-English speaking communities by supporting them in accessing suitable mental health services.
Our Values
FCS believes that all non-English speaking immigrants including refugees and asylum seekers have the right to access an appropriate mental health and wellbeing service to address their emotional, psychological and wellbeing needs. We fully endorse and support the sentiment in the Article 25(1) of the Universal Deceleration of Human Rights which states that “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control”.
Our aims
- To enable Non-English speaking communities to better understand their psychological and mental health issues and seek help when in need and have trust that they will receive a confidential and respectful service.
- To promote equal opportunities in all FCS’s policies and practices and to encourage other Black and Ethnic Minority and Refugee organisations to do the same.
Our objectives
- To provide individual and family/couple counselling to non-English speakers living with emotional and psychological difficulties.
- To provide an accessible, safe and culturally appropriate service in mother tongue.
- To work in partnership with other relevant community groups, health professionals to support the target group.
- To contribute to a strengthened and coordinated approach to mental health service provision and delivery to this client group.
- To organise mental health related seminars/workshops for non-English speaking communities
- To engage in capacity building of the team by providing training opportunities and placements to psychotherapy and psychology students. These students often keep their contact with FCS and offer their services as qualified clinicians after finishing their course of study and training.