Wendy Foster is the Counselling Service Lead at Freshney Pelham Care, where she has been developing and leading the in-house counselling service since 2020. Specializing in Mental Health in Primary Care, Wendy has played a pivotal role in rebuilding and redesigning the counselling service post-COVID, achieving this through extensive research into the needs of both patients and staff, creating a service that actively works towards lasting change and continuous improvement.
The team at Freshney Pelham now comprising of highly skilled paid and volunteer counsellors—provides patient-led interventions with care, compassion, empathy, and pride, offering exceptional support while fostering an environment of understanding and trust.
Within the re-development, Wendy also spearheaded a highly successful student programme, training and developing 20 student counsellors to qualification, and ensuring they embody the same commitment to care and empathy. This Student programme is now widely regarded by local training providers for its quality and impact of future practitioners.
In addition to this programme, Wendy delivers Mental Health training to clinicians across various disciplines, recognising the crucial link between Mental and Physical health, collaborating with other health professionals to promote this integrated approach to care. I also oversee a Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for staff and host local Mental Health events, all of which promotes an open-door policy for anyone in need of support, coupled with a keen passion for early intervention and accessible care to create a stigma-free environment where mental health is normalised and support is available to all.
Wendy is deeply committed to ensuring that mental health services are designed by the people, for the people, and she is proud of the work her team does to foster a culture of compassion and continuous improvement.