Cheshire & Wirral Counselling Service

Trans, Non-Binary and Intersex people can now access a free counselling service in Cheshire and Wirral. This service is available at any stage of your social or medical journey. You must be 18 years or over and a resident of Cheshire or the Wirral. The service provides access to experienced counsellors, accessed for one hour appointments, conducted online.

About Your Sessions

The service provides up to four one hour appointments with our specialist counsellors.

How to access the service

The service is by self-referral, so you can put yourself forward for it using the form linked to from this page.

Am I Eligible?

To be eligible for the service you must be 18 years old or older and live in the areas of Cheshire or Wirral, UK. You do not need to be registered with a GP or Gender Identity Clinic to access this service.

Is there a waiting list?

We do operate a short waiting list at the moment. Referrals are dealt with in the order in which they are submitted.

What if I need help now?

This service is not designed to be an urgent care provision. If you need help with your mental health you can find support here, if you need urgent help, always call 111 or in emergency call 999.

This service is commissioned by Cheshire NHS Clinical Commissioning Group &
Wirral NHS Clinical Commissioning Group and the self-referral system is provided by LCR Pride.

Please click on the button below to complete a self-referral form:

COMPLETE A SELF-REFERRAL FORM HERE

Liverpool Trans Support Service

Liverpool Community Health’s Trans Support Service (TSS) is a service, developed by In-Trust Merseyside, commissioned by Sefton and Liverpool CCG. TSS was launched in 2013 and delivered by LCH, now part of Merseycare.

TSS was set up to support local transsexual, transgender, and gender non-conforming people by listening to them, informing them of available options to relieve their gender distress and empowering them to move forward with their lives.

Clients will usually be referred to the service by their GP and can then expect up to 4 hour long sessions with an experienced Therapist/Counsellor.

The sessions will have 4 main goals:

1. To help the client understand themselves better.
   
   This will be done by the taking of a client history, to help the therapist and client both understand how the client has arrived at this point in their life and how their gender dysphoria (GD) has manifested itself and affected their life.
2. Help make them aware of available options for resolving their gender dysphoria.
   
   This will be done by educating the client, including an overview of the use of hormones and surgical procedures to resolve GD and the wider health implications.
3. Help determine life goals and explore ways in which the client might be able to meet them.
   
   This will be done by making the client aware of the social implications of gender transition. For example, the requirement to live in role prior to genital surgery, the impact upon partners, family and friends, the Gender Recognition Legislation and how to go about changing name.
4. To help ensure that they are receiving all of the support that they need.
   
   If a client is feeling depressed, having problems with housing, employment, addiction or substance use or relationship or sexual problems, TSS can refer them directly to appropriate support agencies without them having to return to their GP. TSS can also support their GP with any onward referral to a gender identity clinic and associated funding application if appropriate. TSS can also signpost clients to other local Trans specific support agencies.

If you have any queries regarding any of the above information please do not hesitate to contact the LCH TSS on 0151 247 6555.

The LCH TSS can be located at:

The Beat
Hanover Street/David Lewis Street
Liverpool
L1 4AF