Highgate Counselling Centre
is the oldest Counselling
service in the UK.

Highgate Counselling Centre was founded in 1960 by William Kyle, a Methodist Minister, trained in pastoral counselling and psychotherapy.  He set up Highgate Counselling Centre as a network of analysts and therapists, who donated their time to provide counselling to people in need, irrespective of their ability to pay.

The Centre has since added a Training offering, to provide a gateway to the counselling profession. We now offer Certificate level courses, and a Diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling course, accredited by the BACP since 1994.

We will remain true to the inspiration of our founder and the ethos of providing high-quality, affordable counselling to those who need it, from within a close-knit and supportive network of human relationships in the Centre itself.

Supported by an expert
Board of Trustees and
Management Team.

Highgate Counselling Centre operates as a company limited by guarantee, and a registered charity. Responsibility for the management of the Centre lies with the Council of Management, whose members are chosen to reflect a wide cross-section of experience. Members of the Council of Management include Mr Nicholas Cobill (Chairperson); Dr Janet Seargeant; Dr Batia Friedmann; Mrs Vivien Wilkinson, Stephen Radford, Sheena Fawcett, Helen Finch and Nicholas Nicolaides.

The Director of the Centre is Natasha Harrison. The Training Manager, Kevin Hamilton, oversees the trainings and CPD activities within the Centre. Other staff at the Centre includes clinical supervisors, course tutors, and administrators. We also have over 50 counsellors operating within the service we provide.

Your donations could help us
continue to provide low-cost
counselling to those most in need.

The Centre is entirely self-financing.  We depend on the support of our friends, the donations we receive and from the contributions made by clients.

Highgate Counselling Centre
has been a BACP Accredited
training organisation since 1994.

The Diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling delivered by HCC is rigorously reviewed and re-accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

The latest re-accreditation report from the BACP states:

“Thank you for submitting an exemplary Annual Rolling Review. All criteria have been met. Your responses to all the criteria are full, expansive and the referencing was exceptionally clear, comprehensive and easy to navigate to find the evidence supporting each criterion. This has enabled a straightforward assessment of your course, and we commend your submission for its quality and comprehension. It is evident there are some robust and comprehensive policies in place regarding the professional standards of clinical practice.”  (BACP, July 2024)