\n Men\u2019s Counselling Service, a therapist-founded national platform, aims to make private therapy more accessible to men locally and across the country.\n<\/p>\n
\n The online service facilitates both in-person and online appointments by connecting men with qualified therapist members. All therapists listed on the directory are fully accredited through Professional Standards Authority-approved registers including BACP, UKCP and NCPS.\n<\/p>\n
\n The platform was launched to help address the United Kingdom\u2019s epidemic of poor male mental health. According to NHS England\u2019s Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, around one in six men (15 per cent) in England have a clinical mental health condition.\n<\/p>\n
\n Data shared with The Mail shows that 25.6 per cent of men in Barrow-in-Furness meet the high-anxiety threshold, higher than the national male average of 23.3 per cent. Local men also report a lower sense of life being \u201cworthwhile\u201d than the national average, suggesting reduced wellbeing outside of mental health crisis points.\n<\/p>\n
\n Higher anxiety levels among men have been highlighted in new Barrow data (Image: Pixabay)\n<\/p>\n
\n Ben Jefferson MBACP, Psychotherapist and Founder of Men\u2019s Counselling Service, said:
\u201cCommunities like Barrow-in-Furness matter enormously when we talk about men\u2019s mental health. In towns with strong identities and proud working histories, men often feel a deep sense of responsibility to cope, provide, and carry on \u2013 even when they\u2019re struggling inside. That pressure can make it much harder to ask for help early.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe launched Men\u2019s Counselling Service to help close that gap. Our aim is to make support feel straightforward, local, and built around how men actually live their lives \u2013 whether that\u2019s face-to-face with a therapist in the area or online at a time that feels manageable.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cBy growing our therapist base in Barrow and across Cumbria, we want men to know that they don\u2019t have to wait until things reach crisis point. Getting support isn\u2019t a sign of weakness, it\u2019s often the first step towards getting back control, stability, and a better quality of life.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n The latest figures sit within a wider picture of concern across Cumbria. Male suicide rates in in the county have historically been higher than the national average, while men in coastal and post-industrial communities can face additional pressures linked to economic change, isolation and reduced access to services.\n<\/p>\n
\n Across the North West, 86.6 per cent of men with common mental health conditions receive no treatment, while only 3.7 per cent receive any form of psychological therapy. Nearly one in four men (23.2 per cent) in the region report having had suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives.\n<\/p>\n
\n Nationally, men account for around three-quarters of all suicides in the UK, yet make up only around one-third of NHS Talking Therapies referrals.\n<\/p>\n
\n Jessica Younger is a counsellor and therapist working with men in Barrow (Image: Men’s Counselling Service)\n<\/p>\n
\n Jessica Younger is a counsellor and therapist working with men in Barrow through the service.\n<\/p>\n
\n She said: \u201cWorking with men has shown me the importance of offering a space that is free of judgement. To just be as they are, whatever that looks like. For some, it can look like being able to say what can’t be said anywhere else in their life.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt can be recognising and understanding unexpressed emotions. It can be exploring undiscovered parts of themselves. It is very meaningful for me to offer a space to be alongside individuals with warmth and curiosity, gently deconstructing what hurts, and reclaiming who they are underneath it all.\u201d\n<\/p>\n