A community-based charity providing a free counselling service in Islington for women who have experienced mental health issues which may stem from trauma including domestic violence, physical abuse or sexual abuse in childhood, war and conflict as well as harmful practices. For over 30 years, our counselling service has provided a safe space for vulnerable women to talk to a specialist counsellor.
Donate or fundraise to support our counselling centre, where talk enables change to take place. Established in 1984, the Maya Centre works with women in Islington and the surrounding boroughs who find it difficult to access the kind of long-term counselling and support they need. They may be homeless, fleeing a violent partner or at risk of neglecting or harming their children.
Donate or fundraise to support our counselling centre, where talk enables change to take place. Established in 1984, the Maya Centre works with women in Islington and the surrounding boroughs who find it difficult to access the kind of long-term counselling and support they need. They may be homeless, fleeing a violent partner or at risk of neglecting or harming their children.
Services
Our free counselling is a life line to the vulnerable women we support in Islington and the surrounding boroughs. Our counsellors are experienced in working closely and effectively with trauma, deprivation and complex multi-layered experiences. Their diversity reflects our local community and our counselling is offered in several languages to women from ethnic minority and refugee communities.
The Islington Women's Counselling Centre (IWCC), now the Maya Centre, was founded in 1984, with core funding from Islington Council which paid the Clinical Director's and Office Manager's salaries and provided rent-free accommodation in the Eastgate Building. The original group saw itself as coming from a feminist perspective and called themselves Islington Women and Mental Health.
Psychodynamic counselling holds the belief that our sense of self/personality is developed from our early experience of relationships, particularly with our parents. If our early experiences of relationships are difficult, we can develop a distorted view of ourselves which can affect us in adulthood.
Jeremy Corbyn, former leader of the Labour Party, and a Member of Parliament for Islington North since 1983. Jeremy is a longstanding and committed patron, who has always passionately supported the aims of our centre. Jeremy is proud to be a patron for a charity within his constituency that plays a vital role in supporting women to recover from trauma.
Our past events have been so fabulous we want you to read all about them! If your company would like to hold a fundraising event for the Maya Centre please get in touch. We'd love to hear about how you can help us fundraise to support more vulnerable women in our community with our specialist counselling service.
Reviews (4)
Belinda Stokes
Oct 22, 2019
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Cristin
Aug 05, 2018
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My data protection was breached when my name and appointment details were sent to another client, and I was sent theirs. The assessment was deeply intrusive, and I felt violated and I was left high and dry with deep memories evoked by an insensitive therapist Diana, who conducted the assessment without any duty of care whatsoever. I have never experienced such contempt or received an apoligy for any of the violations.
Fadumo Omar Mohamed
Feb 02, 2015
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Maya Centre is one of the 1st and few organisations who understood and promoted the needs of ethnic minority's women psychological needs and offer therapy in the client's native languages. They reached the hearts and souls of many women who would otherwise never been reached or get help. Help Maya Centre to help more women:)
Becky Swift
Jan 30, 2014
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The Maya Centre offers a much-needed service, and is a haven for many women who could despair without it. It is rare to find somewhere that can offer a good chunk of therapy, in several languages. In fact, it is unique! What's more, it is going from strength to strength under the auspices of new Director Jo Ansell. Spread the word and support it wherever you can.
