Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of listening to many of our beneficiaries, diocesan colleagues, and partners across the Church. Their message has been consistent: timely, independent, and trusted talking therapy[i] is essential for clergy and their families, especially during periods of strain or transition. These conversations, alongside the evidence we are gathering, make it clear that 2026 must be a year of strengthening, simplifying, and expanding our offer.
A clearer picture of diocesan counselling provision
Last autumn we undertook a comprehensive audit of publicly available information on counselling provision across Church of England dioceses. Shared with bishops and wellbeing and counselling leads, the audit shows significant variation in accessibility, clarity, and independence. It confirms what we hear repeatedly: when clergy are unsure how to access local support, or are concerned about confidentiality, St Luke’s provides a trusted, compassionate alternative.
Investment in strengthening our offer
We are grateful for the support of the Archbishops’ Council, whose recent investment recognises the continuing demand for diagnosis and treatment, and the pressure this places on our small charity. This support enables us to meet demand more sustainably, maintain our independence, and safeguard the quality of care we offer.
We have begun shaping the next phase of our talking therapy service: faster access where clinically appropriate, clearer signposting when others are better placed to help, and a stronger evidence base for the wider Church. As shared recently with diocesan leaders, our aim for 2026 is:
“faster, simpler access – and signposting elsewhere when appropriate.”
A new role to embed learning and quality
To support this development, we are recruiting a Clinical Quality & Learning Lead. This new role will strengthen our service delivery, quality assurance, safeguarding, data management, and continuous learning across our therapy network. It will help bring together insights from audits, beneficiary feedback, and our collaborations, ensuring clergy receive consistently high-quality care wherever they serve.
Working collaboratively across the Church
A key development this year has been our growing partnership with Clergy Support Trust (CST). We are actively exploring closer working to reduce duplication, share learning, and streamline clergy access to support. Collaboration is one of our core values, and both organisations share a clear commitment to clergy wellbeing. By working together, we hope to reduce confusion, simplify referral routes, and help ensure clergy receive the right support at the right time.
Short-term capacity changes as we build the new service
As we lay the foundations for a stronger, more coherent service, including enhanced clinical oversight, clearer pathways, and improved learning, we will need to pause new referrals for a short period. This decision has not been taken lightly. It reflects our commitment to providing safe, reliable, high-quality support, rather than stretching our resources in ways that could compromise care.
We will continue to support those already engaged in our process, and we are working hard to ensure that when provision restarts, our service will be faster, clearer, and aligned with what clergy tell us they need. During this transition, we will actively signpost to CST and diocesan services, working in partnership throughout.
Listening first, shaping with care
Our work remains grounded in listening. The diocesan audit sought not only to map services but to understand experience: the hesitation many feel when approaching support, concerns about confidentiality, and the need for clarity at moments of vulnerability. St Luke’s has always sought to serve clergy with compassion, independence, and professionalism, and these insights will help us steward that calling more faithfully.
Thank you for your continued trust, prayers, and partnership.
[i] i.e. the range of counselling, psychological and psychiatric services.